Episode IV S : The Rebel Retreat
by SRona58
Summary: The Falcon is missing, Han returns home and runs into an 'friend', Leia learns jealousy. How the Rebellion got to Hoth and why Han never left. Set after ANH and before the ESB. A lot of Han/Leia. My leisure writing, for focused writing, check out my other fics. :)
1. Opening Crawl

**A/N: Hello readers! I recently re-watched all of the Star Wars movies and then saw the Force Awakens...twice. I forgot my love for young Harrison Ford (I'm only 22...it's a shame that men don't look like Han Solo anymore!), but watching the saga over again has inspired me a ton to write something on here.**

 **I am currently in the middle of reading From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker. I have the novelizations of the Empire Strikes back and the Return of the Jedi qued for after I finish it. I purchased the two Han Solo trilogies and am waiting impatiently to read them!**

 **In the past few months, I have written and published a fiction novel from my own creativity; it will soon be available for purchase on Amazon once I get my editing done. I wanted to take a break from that kind of writing to do something more laid back.**

 **This is my version of what would come AFTER a New Hope and BEFORE the Empire Strikes back. Sorry for any details I may mess up - I'm not an expert, only a big fan returning to her childhood.**

* * *

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

Star Wars

Episode IV S

THE REBEL RETREAT

The battle against the Dark Side continues. Although the Death Star has been destroyed by a young Luke Skywalker, the evil lord Darth Vader has not given up his command of the Imperial Starfleet, ruling it alongside the relentless Emperor Palpatine. The chances of an Imperial win would be guaranteed with the loss of Luke and his companions, Han Solo and Leia Organa.

The Rebel forces have set up camp on Chad, a planet in the outer rim territories. Inhabited by nothing but small rodent creatures, the planet serves as a way for the Rebellion to hide from the Imperial troops until they strengthen their tactics to finish off Vader.

While the Dark Side's whereabouts after the destruction of the Death Star remain unknown, the freedom fighters expand and begin planning their next attack. Unknown to the Rebels, Vader and the Imperial Starfleet have released a spy across the galaxy to track down the secret base...


	2. Chapter I

**A/N: Reviews are always helpful...I would love to know if you think I've captured the essence of their characters well enough! Happy reading to you all!**

* * *

 **Chapter I**

The air crackled with an electric static as a storm built up in the dark clouds that hung overhead. A city was staring up at a night sky as the system moved in. The stars slowly faded behind the thunder and lightning, leaving the ground to rely on the lights from the building to illuminate the air space.

Black robes blew gently behind a thick figure that stood in the window of a tower in the center of the city. They whipped and snapped at the air when he suddenly spun around. An echo of his breathing bounced off the walls of the dark room.

Vader strode towards the table in the middle of the room. The holo that was displaying in the middle of the flat surface sparkled a bright blue, the only color that didn't resemble the ambitions of the Dark Side. They showed a system; a galaxy full of milky ways, stars, and planets. Around this, Imperial officers sat, studying the display.

With a wave of his hand, one of the officers, who sat across from where Vader was standing, enlarged the holo to focus on one particular planet; Coruscant.

Suddenly, a red ring appeared around the blue planet. The black helmets of all in the room reflected the red light that was added on the table.

"The shields are up, my lord," the office spoke.

His voice seemed to tremble at the end; not from lack of confidence, but from the fear of what the Dark Lord would do to him if their plans failed.

Vader noticed.

"Good." His voice rumbled, heavy and stern. Breathing followed as it always did.

"Shall we proceed with our plan?" the office asked.

The Empire was moved to Coruscant after Luke Skywalker , who was now a rebel soldier, had destroyed the Death Star almost a year after the Battle of Yavin. Putting up a force field around the planet was the best option the Imperials had in order to regroup safely. Most of the fleet was destroyed when the old base was, but Vader had escaped on his TIE Fighter and was able to rejoin the Emperor. He was not happy with the Dark Lord for his failure, but he valued his apprentice too much to destroy him just yet.

When no answer was received, the officer continued speaking, his voice faltering once again.

"The Empire will be well protected." He was unsure of where to end. "For now."

Finally, Vader's voice rumbled through his helmet once more.

"We will never be safe until young Skywalker is dead."

"But, sir-"

Vader swept his hand through the air violently, and as he did so, the officer was shoved out of his seat and onto the floor, where he lay, still alive, but dazed.

"You _will_ find them," Vader ordered.

"Yes, sir," the officer choked. He stumbled back to his seat and added, "we will send out Rykin right away, my lord."

"Good."

The black robes swung around again as Vader tossed his body around and stormed out of the automatic doors and took off down the hallway that exited the holo room.

* * *

In another system, the hunt for Imperial troops was continuing. The rebellion was desperately trying to rid the planet Chad of the Empire, needing to claim the planet as their base for the new rebel camp.

The jungle like atmosphere provided protection from the elements and made it harder for them to be located by Lord Vader. The only inhabitants of the planet resembles rodents called Chadra-Fans, which would most likely throw the Imperials off guard and send them passing by. No humans had ever lived on Chad, so it would be perfect for hiding.

After Luke had destroyed the Death Star and temporarily rid the galaxy of the Empire, Leia and Han had accompanied him on a search to relocate the Rebellion. They feared Vader would be able to rebuild his fleet and attack, knowing very well where they had launched their ships from.

Leia wandered the jungle with her blaster up and ready to shoot. She had to retreat a couple yards in order to take down her share of Stormtroopers. The battle had been going on a while; they landed shortly after the sun had risen, sending the camp into a frenzy when their scanners picked up the incoming ships.

Han and his ridiculous courage had placed them in the middle of the attack. He had planned a full on charge, hoping that they knew the terrain better than the Imperials and would be able to launch a surprise attack. He also underestimated their numbers.

Leia felt her anger build as she remembered him getting her into such a situation, but it was tossed aside by an overwhelming fear that she was in the presence of another soldier. Blaster up and straight ahead, she proceeded over the massive tree roots and ferns. She stepped lightly over the ground so she wouldn't make any noise.

A strange kind of bird yowled in the sky and took off into the branches overhead. Leia jumped at the sudden movement and pointed her blaster up. She didn't shoot; she had a stability that the Rebellion didn't see in most women soldiers.

When she recovered, she moved her sight back to the landscape in front of her and stepped to her side to avoid tripping. She held her breath and hoped the bird hadn't alerted an Imperial fleet of her location.

A branch snapped behind her and she spun around to face it. She pointed her blaster at the sound and slowly pulled a giant fern to the side to reveal whatever was behind it.

To her surprise, a young, male figure was crouched below the plant. He held his own blaster over the root of the tree he leaned against and aimed at a Stormtrooper in the distance until Leia had alerted him of her arrival.

"Leia!"

The blood stripes on his blue pants gave him away.

"Han!" Leia shouted in disbelief and annoyance.

Her blaster didn't waver, and her tone wasn't any kinder than usual.

"Happy to see me, sweetheart?" Solo asked.

He smiled his half smile and looked Leia over, knowing full well he could make her madder than anyone else she knew.

She ignored his question. "You almost gave us up!"

" _Me_?!" Han was genuinely shocked. "I was about to take out these Imperial robots until you started throwing plants around!"

Leia looked in the distance at the white armor of the Stormtrooper. He fell to the ground almost as soon as she laid eyes on him. A blaster was heard from the other side of the jungle right before he dropped.

"You gonna shoot me?"

Solo threw his hands in the air in fake surrender. His eyes opened wider as he raised an eyebrow and extended his head towards her, letting her know he was awaiting her reply.

Leia looked at the blaster and then back at Han and frowned.

"I should only hope to be so lucky," she retaliated. "I could have killed you, you imbecile!"

"Admit it," Han said sarcastically. "You know you'd miss me."

" _Miss_ you!" Leia snorted in outrage. "I'd sooner miss the Empire than your sorry mess!"

"Hey, now," Solo warned, his temper rising. He brought his arms to his sides and pointed a finger at Leia as he put his blaster back in his holster. "I've saved your behind more times than you've thanked me for."

Leia wanted nothing more but to tell him she could have managed on her own, but she was interrupted before she could even begin.

"Guys!"

The voice that called to Han and Leia was desperate, yet familiar. Luke.

"Quit your bickering, we have company!" he shouted as he passed on a long speeder that roared loud when it came close.

The two watched as Luke, who was trying to be as camouflaged as he could while on the vehicle, whipped in and out of the trees and made a sharp turn, coming back at them. They ducked as he shot his blasters at something out where the Stormtrooper he had just killed had been.

A figure in a silver cloak and black, cotton mask leap into the air like a ninja, avoiding Luke's shots. The figure had a jet pack and a shotgun blaster that had a nice scope on it, from the looks of how accurate his shots were. Fortunately, he didn't shoot so well in the air.

A beam of red light broke into the tree trunk directly over Han's right shoulder, throwing pieces of wood splintering into the air. Leia flinched and ducked. She felt Han's hand grip her arm as he dropped down, too, and immediately shook it off without saying anything.

"I think he's after us!" Luke yelled, again coming at the two on his speeder.

"Us?!" Solo shouted. "Are you sure you don't mean _me_? That shot was pretty dead on!"

"Don't be so full of yourself," Leia complained.

Han didn't care to argue anymore; there was no point in sticking around to annoy his ally just to get his head shot off. He grabbed her arm again and stood her up as he jumped to his feet.

"Luke, get us out of here!"

Luke fired again, missing just by inches. The figure jumped high into the trees and vanished from sight, but the red lasers continued to rain down, each time missing Han and Leia by just a foot or so.

"I can't!" Luke yelled from his speeder. "This thing won't brake!"

There was no time to roll his eyes, but Han wanted to.

"Get ready to run, Princess!" he ordered before he tugged at her arm and pulled her into a sprint.

They raced back to the dugout entrance to the temporary rebel base at the edge of the river ahead of them. Each step was left unbalanced as a beam from the enemy's blaster shot down before their feet. Leia stumbled, but caught herself each time with grace.

She ducked without warning as a shot raced over her head.

"Nice dodge," Solo complimented.

She didn't reply.

The two kept running, wood flying through the air around them as they continued to out think their attacker.

Luke sped past, unable to stop, and made a leap off of the speeder to safety by the door to the hidden bunker. His speeder continued on without him, eventually plowing into a tree trunk and exploding into bits. Smoke filled the air where it hit.

Thankfully, all three entered the bunker safely. The door was open and ready and was shut and immediately sealed behind them when they slid into the base.

Luke stood with his back against the wall as he unbuckled his helmet and caught his breath. His camouflaged attire was now covered in dust. Leia, who had fallen to her knees, got up and shook her arm to get Han to let it go. He scowled. Then, she dusted herself off with dignity and shook her head to get the branch that was caught in her hair bun to fall out.

"Master Luke!"

The voice of Threepio greeted them as the feeling of safety eventually washed over the trio. His shiny, gold body clanked down the ramp that was the hallway to the main section of the bunker. He lifted his arms as far as he could in happiness.

"Threepio!" Luke was always excited to see his droid.

"Artoo shut down the main power component!" Threepio informed him. "The doors should be sealed shut for quite some time."

"Thank you, Threepio." The Jedi in training was sincere.

"Not a problem, sir, but it was really all Artoo's doing, so you should be thanking him..." he paused. "Wherever he is."

Luke laughed. "I will."

Suddenly, the droid jumped as if the droid had only seen his master.

"Ah! Commander Solo and Princess Leia! I'm terribly sorry for all of this-"

Threepio was cut off quickly.

"I thought you said their sensors wouldn't pick us up here!" Solo snapped as he brushed off his jacket.

"Our radar shouldn't have been detected," the droid promised him. "Perhaps they guessed and-"

"Guessed? _Guessed_?!"

"Han!" Leia scolded.

"Oh, don't you start on me, too, your Worship. I had everything under control until you came barging along back there!"

Leia huffed and glared at Han, but was pushed aside by Artoo racing down the hall before the argument could get heated again. The little droid rushed over her feet, making her flinch away from the hard stare she and Solo were locked in. He beeped and chirped a message only Threepio and Luke seemed to understand.

"Artoo wants to know who that was coming after Commander Solo and the Princess," Threepio informed the group.

"I haven't the slightest idea," Luke replied with a frown.

His childlike eyes closed as he focused, trying to pick up any sense of what had just been shooting at them, but he hadn't quite grasped the use of his Jedi background well enough yet to do that.

"It was silver and accurate and I didn't like it," Solo said mater-of-factly.

Luke ended the discussion swiftly. "Well, whatever it was, it's gone now."

* * *

The dark storm that was engulfing the tower on Coruscant continued to rage. Lightning flashed and brightened up the command center momentarily, then left it dark again.

Vader stood where he was earlier in the day, against the glass window that overlooked the city. He felt a great power burning within him that let him know Luke was still alive. The plans of the Empire to seize the rebels had not worked.

"Lord Vader..."

The officer that had originally put up the shields around the planet quietly addressed the evil lord in attempts to inform him that the spy had locked in on Skywalker and his alliance. Vader gave him no chance to speak, though.

"If you've found them, why haven't you _caught_ them?!" Vader's voice roared loud and clear throughout the now empty room.

"Rykin landed on a planet in the outer rim, sir..." the officer mumbled. "The Rebel Alliance is located on Chad."

" _Find them_ and bring them to me," the Dark Lord gravely ordered without looking away from the city. "Alive."


	3. Chapter II

**A/N: Reviews always welcome! Let me know if I've captured the characters correctly.**

* * *

II

The sound of chatter hummed in the passage ways that ran underground in the Rebel base on Chad. People scurried back and forth in the makeshift base, preparing ships to send out for the next scouting run. Each hall was a tight squeeze; only two or three soldiers could stand across. It resembled the halls on any ship, especially the _Millennium Falcon_. The set up wasn't permanent, but it made do until the fleet was able to establish their home.

Boots on metal clanked as Luke hurried down a long corridor. The bottom of the tunnel shook as the plating went under pressure below his feet. His pace was fast to ensure he made it to his destination quickly.

As he turned a corner, Luke accidentally stumbled into two rebels who were carrying helmets in their arms. They were on their way to the landing deck on the other side of the base, no doubt. He muttered an apology, but they didn't look up or acknowledge his presence. He would have loved the irony, but his camouflage outfit had been replaced by dark tan robes similar to what he wore throughout his childhood.

Placing his hand on a scanner, Luke opened the door to a bright room with bunks on either side. Machines that looked like boxes sat in the middle with blinking lights. One screen to the left displayed a chart for a rebel soldier, who was housed on a corner bunk in the back.

"How are you doing?" Luke asked the man laying in the bunk.

A dirty-faced Han Solo looked up from his shoulder, where he was holding a white cloth to a spot where he must have been hit by the mystery blaster's first shot at him. He kept the rag placed on the wound with one hand. His other fiddled with the collar on his shirt; he was trying to loosen it so it would stay under his shoulders, leaving the scratch exposed.

A droid medic stationed in the room began to update Luke, but couldn't finish.

"Commander Solo has a minor tear on his right -"

"I'm fine," Solo insisted, not allowing his nurse to talk for him. "It's just a scratch," he muttered.

Han dabbed at the wound again and then lifted the rag; it had stopped bleeding.

"Lucky it wasn't more," Luke told him.

"I've had worse, kid."

At his reply, Luke smiled and looked at the ground. His ruffled, dark blond hair hung over his eyes and hid his face. Han, reading his friend's face, knew there was more to come. As the droid returned to bandage his shoulder, he questioned Luke.

"The patrols head out already?" Solo asked, and then added "save it for someone else!" over his shoulder when the nurse droid placed it's cold metal hands on his shoulder, trying to seal a bandage down on the small wound.

"On their way right now," Luke informed him.

"Good," he growled. "I hope they find that Imperial trash before I kill 'em myself!"

Luke didn't want to announce his doubts, but the shooter had it out for them more than the Stormtroopers did.

"I'm not sure he was working with them," he said.

Solo snorted but didn't bother with a reply.

When silence overtook, Luke looked back up at the smuggler. He waited until Han caught his eye. He had a question he deemed serious; it would be, in his friend's eyes, anyway.

"Well don't just sit there and stare, kid," Solo spat out.

Luke couldn't resist a smile. Han always had a snarkiness to him that made life humorous; he was glad to have bargained with him to be his pilot.

"You think the _Falcon_ is ready for another trip?" Skywalker asked.

Han sat up in his bunk. His brow furrowed and he looked at Luke as though he had just grown a second head.

"Ready?" the Corellian repeated.

He always had a way of stammering through his thoughts when he didn't believe what he was hearing. Often times, he found himself repeating words as though he were trying to convince himself he had heard right.

" _Ready_?" Solo repeated.

Luke rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I know, I know..."

He placed his arms at his sides and gripped the table in the middle of the room as he leaned against it.

Han was still outraged at the question. "She's always _ready_."

"She took a big hit on that last landing."

Solo frowned. "Nothing Chewie can't take care of until I get out of here." He glared at the nurse again as she passed, prepping the other bunks in case of new arrivals. "What for, anyway?"

Luke met Han's gaze once more. "Relocation."

"Relocation?!" Solo was in disbelief. "One Imperial fleet attacks and we decide to relocate again? We'll run out of planets before her Highness makes up her mind!"

Han's contempt of the Princess did bother Luke, but he wouldn't get in the way of it. He wanted nothing more than to avoid the conflict all together.

"It wasn't only her decision. The scouts we sent out two weeks ago radioed back from a place called Naboo."

"Naboo?" Solo repeated again. Why did that name sound familiar?

Luke nodded. "Might take a while to get there, but they said there's more of the Rebellion with them."

Han thought for a moment. Then, without warning, he jumped off of his bunk and tore out of the medical wing. He stomped his way down the corridors that Luke had just ran through until he made it back to the center; to the control room. He was well aware of Luke's heavy sigh as he sprinted off and heard his following footsteps all the way there.

* * *

The sound of chirps and a few inaudible growls echoed in the forest. Back out on Chad, the jungle was silent, except for the clank of tools banging on something holo. A long tube of wires, enclosed with plastic, was sent flying over the top of a hill from the bottom of a small valley. Then a rumble of an engine straining to start.

Chewbacca let out a cry from the ravine. He stood on top of a giant, gray ship. It was circular, but flat on top. The _Millennium Falcon_.

After the landing on Chad to transport the last of the Rebellion's supplies, Solo had entered the atmosphere too quickly, trying to avoid an asteroid belt outside of the planet's airspace. From the ground, the rocks looked like meteors in space. The engines of the _Falcon_ had malfunctioned, sending it crash landing on a river bank nearby. The rebels were able to transport the ship and hide it in the ravine, in case of attack. Thankfully, the Chadra-Fans didn't mind the ship; they stayed hidden, probably feeling as though they had been invaded, too.

Another loud yelp came from Chewie as a spark hit his giant hand when he tried to jump the power belt under the _Falcon's_ left landing leg.

He had been able to start Solo's ship successfully, but the displays in the cockpit had bad wiring and short circuited the entire system...again. Han, who had been there for that incident, threw a fit and swore he would get rid of her as soon as he could. Chewie knew he would never do such a thing, so he continued to work on it while Solo was summoned out to counter the incoming Imperial troops.

Worried that he hadn't seen his companion back since, Chewie dropped his two tools in hand and shook himself off. He made his way off of the top of the _Falcon_ and jumped onto the edge of the ravine to climb the hill back to the entrance of the rebel base.

Before he could make it up, his leg was shot as soon as he heard the loud sound of a blaster going off. Chewie fell to the ground almost instantly, letting out a shrill cry. The pain that was in his leg was tolerable, but it had caught him off guard, and he lost his weapons to the cliff that fell into the ravine.

Chewie finally stumbled back onto his feet, but it was too late. A flash of silver and black raced up the loading boards of the _Falcon_ and disappeared from sight.

* * *

"Commander Solo! And Master Luke!"

The voice of See Threepio was never mistaken; he always was around to greet the three in command, and Han hated that. Luke, on the other hand, was always ready and willing to engage in conversation. He had more patience than the others...probably while Kenobi had sought him out to become a Jedi knight in the first place.

"Someone turn him off!" Solo ordered, introducing himself to the room as he strode in and made his way to the holo map on the center table.

Artoo hummed and beeped a few times, making Threepio stand back and watch him hop around on the floor.

"Oh, stop it, Artoo!" Threepio begged.

Artoo beeped again and spun around.

"He likes me more than he likes you," Threepio retorted.

Han approached Leia and spun her around to face him. He towered over her by almost a foot; it never got old to present his orders while standing over her. He left one hand on her left shoulder and pointed at her face with his other.

"Listen up, your Worship. If you want to relocate this whole damned base all over again, don't you come begging for my help. The _Falcon_ flies for me, and me only!" he snapped.

Leia was as calm as she always was.

"I seem to recall several trips with many more of us on board," she pointed out.

"Never asked for you there," Solo replied without skipping a beat.

"Sir, if I may..." Threepio broke up the argument. "Artoo has shared information with me that I think is most important for your decision."

Luke, who was silently standing off to the side, bent down and looked at the droid affectionately.

"What is it, Artoo?" he asked.

A holo of the galaxy suddenly shot up from Artoo's core, sending the room into a three dimensional display of the planets circling around the rebel soldiers who were present. Those at compuer screens stopped and turned to see what the light source was.

"Artoo wanted to point out that our sensors are picking up another incoming fleet from an unknown location."

The holo lit up with a couple of red ships outside a neighboring planet. There were only a few, but still enough to transport a good three hundred of the Imperial fleet. The ship icons moved ever so slightly on Artoo's map as they slowly approached.

"You were saying?" Leia spat in Han's face right before she shook his hand off of her shoulder.

He huffed, but backed down. "Fine, you got this one." Then, he added, "but next time, you might not be so lucky!"

"How long do we have, Threepio?" Luke asked, focused on the battle tactics and not the tension between Han and Leia.

"Sir, it seems as though Artoo is predicting three hours, at most.

Leia gasped. "Three hours?!"

"You wanted to relocate," Solo taunted. "Here's your chance, sweetheart!"

Before Leia could make any snide remarks back, the doors to the command center burst open and revealed the wounded Wookie that had surrendered the _Millennium Falcon_. He limped in, whining and wailing. Han and Threepio, naturally, were the only ones in the room that could understand his distress.

"Stolen?!" Solo shouted, ignoring Chewie's obvious wound. " _Stolen_?!" Anger flared in his eyes and his jaw tensed as he took a few steps towards his companion. "What are you trying to tell me, here, Chewie?!"

"Sir - I believe he's saying that the _Millennium Falcon_ has been stolen by an unknown Imperial soldier," Threepio said with enthusiasm, proud to be a translator.


	4. Chapter III

**A/N: I think I'll upload an extended one shot of the Han / Leia scene at the end of this tomorrow.  
**

 **I also wanted to note that I'm attempting to write this in the style that George Lucas wrote From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker before it was listed under his ghost writer. I hope it satisfies.**

 **As always, reviews are very helpful. Beginning to think this isn't any good...but I hope it's decent!**

* * *

III

"You let the _Falcon_ get stolen?!"

Solo was in shock that his friend would allow their home to be taken so easily. As long as he had known him, both of them would do anything they had to to keep what was theirs. It was part of being smugglers, after all.

Chewie shrugged and tried to explain, but Han wasn't having it. The Wookie rumbled more apologizes as his captain threw his arm angrily across a table to his side and sent equipment crashing to the ground. No one spoke as he stormed out of the command center.

When the doors closed securely behind him and left the room safe to engage in conversation again, Leia stepped forward to examine the holo.

"Artoo," she beckoned calmly. "Can you seal everything but the south corridor and prepare the bunker for evacuation?"

"Why the south corridor?" Luke asked as he stood tall again. "Won't that be the easiest for them to access?" It didn't make sense to him.

"Easiest," she confirmed. "But not the smartest. They'll think we're dumb enough to expect them there," she told her surrounding officers. "If we don't make it out of here by then, that is," she added.

"Oh, we'll make it out, all right!" Luke concluded.

He was eager to show the Imperials that they meant business, and was confident that the rebels could relocate successfully if they chose the right place. His voice implied this to ensure Leia felt the same as he did. There was no other way to prepare the Rebellion.

Leia took a deep breath and stabilized herself. Then, she looked around the room to the officers listening in, waiting for her command.

"Luke, you take Rollin and Geena and get the ships ready for takeoff. Anyone that can pilot one of those things will. I was the transporters ready and waiting for my command."

Luke nodded at her order, meeting the eyes of who would accompany him.

"Let's get the halls evacuated, everyone in the bunks needs a weapon if they don't already have one. Chewie, you can take care of that, can't you?"

He growled an agreement.

"Anyone else, monitor the systems with Artoo and alert one of us if anything changes," Leia ordered.

"Excuse me, Princess," Threepio called as the others took to their stations and sent the command room into chaos. "What shall I do?"

"Threepio..." Leia murmured while she thought. Truthfully, she didn't have a need for him in their evacuation plans, but she couldn't have him feel left out. "Well I'll need you here to translate Artoo, of course!" she told him.

Thankfully, the droid happily accepted her offer.

* * *

Back on Coruscant, a fleet of Stormtroopers were standing in filed packs on the loading docks of the Imperial landing zones. They were addressed in military style, each group getting its own assignment for which transport it would be taking to Chad to annihilate the rebel units. The skies were still stormy, but the day that came with the decision to attack brought a small amount of light to illuminate the planet while it prepared.

Vader oversaw the loading of the fleets onto their ships. He watched from the back of the landing dock, in a separate room that had glass walls and could look over the ships. The room was elevated, allowing the Dark Lord to prove that he was better than his troops once again.

"The first transports are cleared for dispatch, my lord," the commanding officer, a Shadowtrooper, told Darth Vader as he cleared the ship on his electronic pad.

"How long until they find Skywalker?" Vader rumbled. He only cared about one thing.

The commander frowned under his helmet. "Not until they land, sir."

Vader sensed his actions. "If I wanted the obvious, I would have known by now!" he lectured angrily. "When they land, I want the first troops to enter the South door."

Vader turned and paced back and forth as he watched more troops load onto their ships. The next groups moved forward, continuing the military pattern.

"But sir-" the commander argued. He was worried, but still needed to express his thoughts.

"Do you dare to question my orders?" Vader asked.

The leader of the Dark Side lifted his hand in a threat to the commanding officer, letting him know he could handle the Force with one flick of the wrist. He wasn't one to give second chances, so this was a steal for the Shadowtrooper.

"No, sir..." the commander stuttered. "It's just..."

"What?" Vader roared.

He swallowed in nervousness. "The rebels will surely be waiting for us at the South door," he gulped.

Vader threw his hand down, and with it went the commander's pad. The Shadowtrooper jumped back on his feet a little and moved away from the Dark Lord, but never let his gaze waver. He feared death, but wouldn't put himself in its path intentionally.

"You will enter at the South door, and will not question my decisions again!" Vader demanded.

As though he had agreed all along, the commanding officer replied with, "They'll enter at the South door, sir."

"Good," Vader answered and lowered his arm. "Now prepare my ship."

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

Clothes and other belongings were scattered across the room in Han Solo's personal bunk, located across from Chewie's room near the landing docks. He needed to make sure he could easily access the _Falcon_ , when he had it, anyway, so he demanded he would be allowed the closest bunk to the ship.

Han sat on the edge of his bunk with his forehead rested in his hands. His arms were supported by his knees. Ruffled hair fell in his face while his head was drooped, but he didn't care. All that was on his mind was the whereabouts of the _Falcon_. She had only been close to stolen once since he acquired her before he left Corellia, and that was when he had lost a bargain with Jabba the Hutt a few years back. He was able to keep her by promising him more money; more money that he never returned after rescuing the Princess and destroying the Death Star.

 _Face it,_ he thought to himself. _You might never see her again._

Solo's solemn thoughts about the loss of his ship were interrupted when the door slid open to his bunk. He looked up instantly and straightened up his body, afraid someone would catch him in his fragile state.

Leia stepped in gracefully as she always did and made her way to Han's bunk. Standing before him, she tried to be as nice as she could. This time, there would be no banter. She truly felt bad for her...her...well, she could call him her friend.

"He didn't mean it, you know," Leia told Han softly.

Han stared up at Leia, silent. A mix of annoyance and sorrow filled his eyes, but she could tell he was doing all he could not to completely take it out on her. Still, it wasn't like him to not mess with her head, so he had to snap at her a little bit.

"Thanks, your Worship, but I don't need your sympathy," he spat back.

Leia kept a straight face and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Han," she murmured.

He had never heard her voice so sincere since the celebration of the destruction of the Death Star. Still, it was different from then, too. In a way he did feel bad for how he treated her, but they could never cooperate without the help of Luke and Chewie.

Leia took a step closer but then Han shook her hand off of his shoulder and scowled.

"Don't," he ordered.

"What?" She was actually curious.

Solo looked at Leia with determination as she sat down on the bunk next to him. "Look," he told her and turned to face her. "I'll lose my life before I lose the _Falcon_."

"I know."

Han ignored her.

"Chewie might've lost her, but it's up to us to find her," he continued.

Leia shook her head and looked down at her knees. Then she smiled a bright, kind smile and faced Solo again.

"Han," she chuckled. She could tell her humor annoyed him, but she didn't care. "It's up to _all_ of us to find her," she informed him.

"All of us?" Solo questioned. "She's _my_ ship!" He was infuriated again. "I don't know where you got the idea that she belongs to you, Princess, but believe me-"

Leia silenced him with a roll of her eyes.

"Don't you give me that," he warned.

"Maybe if you took a second to not be such a self centered air head, you'd see that we're just trying to help!" Leia argued, raising her voice.

Han frowned in frustration. "We're? Oh, so now it's you _and_ Luke, is it?"

"Yes," Leia answered right off the bat.

Solo was tired of hearing about Luke from the Princess. Everything between them lead back to the Jedi in training. Perhaps they could get along better if she would concentrate on treating him like any other soldier in the Rebellion, instead of comparing him to her crush all the time.

Leia took his moment of quietness to try to soothe the matter again.

"We're your friends, Han," she told the Corellian softly.

Deciding it was best to return her kindness, Solo let his guard down and was nice to Leia for once.

"Thank you," was all he gave her.

Seizing the opportunity, Leia decided to talk business with Han while he was calm.

"I need your help," she told him and smiled when his eyes met hers.

"My help?" Solo repeated. "With what?"

"Someone needs to pilot our ship."

"What ship?"

Han spoke in disgust. He had never even thought about piloting anything _but_ the _Millennium Falcon_.

"The command fleet," she told him. She didn't know the name of the ship, just that she would accompany the rest on their departure to Naboo.

"That piece of junk?" Solo retorted.

He rolled his eyes and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. Then, he stood from his bunk and paced the room. The waiting for information about his ship was going to drive him crazy if he sat any longer.

"It's all we've got."

"You'll be lucky if she makes it even a third of the way there," he told Leia, slowing until he stood against the wall by the door to his bunk.

Han reached behind him to play with the dirt that formed the walls of the bunk. He looked over Leia and waited for her reaction at his news. He didn't _want_ to be the downer, but it was the truth; the _Falcon_ was the only ship the rebels had that would make it across the galaxy without a pit stop.

"What do you suggest then?"

Leia stood as well, but stayed across the room from Solo.

He thought for a moment, then paused to ask her, "do we have time for a stop in the core?"

Leia thought for a moment, but answered quickly. "What did you have in mind?"

"Naboo is across the galaxy. I know a guy on Corellia who can get us a better ship," Solo told her.

"Corellia?" Leia repeated. "Your home, Corellia?" she specified.

The pilot nodded. "The guy who got me the _Falcon_ helped me fix her up. I owe him a couple favors, but I bet I could get him to help us out," he told her.

Leia stepped towards the door in a hurry, eager to give the others the order to set coordinates to the Corellian system. As she was reaching for the pad to allow her access out, Han pulled on her arm an turned her around to face him.

"Stop that," she ordered. "We're short on time here, or have you forgotten?"

"You sure you want to burst out there so soon, Princess?" Solo teased. "I'm sure we have a little bit of extra time..."

He smiled his half smile, crooked, but alluring. He couldn't let her go without attempting to charm her at least a little bit. Besides, he loved seeing her mad at him.

"Let go," Leia demanded.

"Okay, okay, your Highness." Han let his hand go and lifted both arms in surrender. "Whatever you say."

Thankfully for Leia, her radioed barked an incoming call from Luke on the landing docks.

"Leia?" he called over the speaker. "Our X-wings are ready to go."

"Set all coordinates to the Corellian system," she radioed back. "Wait for my order."


	5. Chapter IV

**A/N: Please give me your feedback if you have any input on this! :) I recently started reading The Paradise Snare, the first book in the first Han Solo trilogy. I am in love with his history, so this will be fun to write!**

 **I uploaded a new story called "The Falcon", which is an extended scene from Chapter 3. Han/Leia ;)**

* * *

IV

The Rebellion command ship wasn't that big. The bulky hunk of metal was no comparison to the _Millennium Falcon_ , but it was still flyable. It was boxy and only about three quarters of the size of the _Falcon_ , but not many were as big as she was. She was made for hauling - for smuggling. The rebel ship didn't need the all of the room and extra space that Solo's ship was built to include.

Han was radioing to Chewie from the inside of the ship as he booted her up and got her engines running. Chewie, roaming the underneath, was completing the usual pre flight inspections before takeoff. Han had piloted the Rebel ship only once before, and it was only to land her on Chad when they first arrived. None of the other pilots thought they could do so without disturbing the Chadra-Fans. Solo took over shortly before they entered the system.

"How's she look under there?" Solo called into his radio.

Chewie gargled out a few howls and Han heard something clank underneath him, but didn't question it. He trusted the Wookie could work it out on his own.

Solo flicked several switches and punched a few buttons to start the rear engines. When he heard them hum, his lips curved in a half smile.

"There she is."

Han's raspy voice was quiet. He muttered it to himself in a purr, happy to hear that the ship was working. It was one step closer he would come to finding the _Falcon_. He vowed to himself that once it was all over with and he got his ship back, he would make his escape, return Jabba's interest, and get the hell out of the Rebellion once and for all. He had no reason to stay, except...

"Leia," Han sighed when he heard her board the ship with the Wookie and Threepio from the side.

Leia's footsteps echoed from the core of the ship, but they were nothing compared to the stomps of the Wookie following her. Solo could easily tell when she was about ready to barge in. Thankful for the warning, he braced himself for a sarcastic banter before takeoff.

"I didn't think you'd ever step foot in another ship." The Princess smirked when she and Chewie stepped into the cockpit and the door closed behind them.

"She flies, doesn't she?" Han asked. "If she can fly, I can fly her."

He didn't bother to spin around to face Leia or his friend as he continued messing with the dash in order to start up the front engines. They sputtered for a moment, and Han whispered "come on, baby," but they eventually kicked in and the ship was ready to go.

"Just tell me when, sweetheart," Han told Leia as she hung over his shoulder, watching how he started up the giant piece of metal.

"You sure you can fly this thing?" she asked, suddenly weary.

Han only had to toss his companion a baffled look and she took to her radio to invite the others to leave with them.

"Luke," Leia called into her radio. "All engines are a go," she informed him.

"Good," she heard call back. "Coordinates set to the Corellian system, the others are making the trip straight to Naboo. See you at home, Han!"

Luke's voice seemed to broadcast that he was smiling at his last comment. Although Han liked the kid, he found his optimism to be too much sometimes. Still, he appreciated the friendly teasing; it kept him from going crazy from dealing with just Chewie.

"Buckle up, Princess," Han told Leia, finally turning to look at her. "Let's get out of here."

The Rebel ship slowly lifted off the ground. The landing dock at the temporary base was flooded with wind and dust kicked up once she lifted her supports off of the floor. With a roar of the engines, the ship took off into the sky and made a jump to hyperspace once they left the planet's orbit.

* * *

On the side of the Rebel camp on Chad where the _Falcon_ once stood, a ship with long wings that folded up landed patiently in the ravine. The hatch opened from below and dropped down to the ground. Light illuminated the jungle; it was dark now. The Imperial fleets hadn't arrived on the planet until hours after the Rebellion managed to evacuate.

Loud footsteps and heavy breathing came before Vader's figure appeared on the ramp. He made his way off of his ship, his black robes swinging behind him with each step. When a breeze came on strong, the robes twisted around his body armor, covering his legs in front of him. Vader didn't care; he proceeded to meet his first office at the bottom of his ramp.

There was silence for a moment while the officer brought himself together. Vader knew he was nervous; they were always nervous.

"Where is Skywalker?" the Dark Lord rumbled.

His voice was low and deeper than usual, even with the mask over his head. There was an eerie sense of calm in the ravine, but the officer silently waited for his outrage to take over once he told his superior what the Imperial fleets had found.

"He's not here, sir," the officer told Vader. "None of them are."

Another silence.

Finally, Vader spoke. "I want that boy," he snapped at the first officer, who gulped, thankful that Vader hadn't taken out his anger on him...yet.

"It seems they've gotten off on the _Millennium Falcon_ , sir," the officer told him quietly.

Before he knew it, the first officer was trying to grasp his neck to breathe, but Vader had used the Force strongly on him and was lifting him from the ground, choking him.

"Sir-" he choked out. "The _Falcon_ -just went into-hyperspace-before we landed-"

Then, the officer was let go and he fell to the ground. He took a breath after a moment; he was given another chance, something that was a rare gift from Darth Vader or the Emperor.

"Then go after them," he ordered, "before I had to do it myself."

* * *

Corellia wasn't as Han had remembered it. He had landed short of his hometown in attempt to seek out the man who had helped him with the _Falcon_ when he first obtained her. He wasn't ready for the confrontation, but it was necessary if he wanted to get his ship back.

On one side of Corellia, the land was flat and covered in fields and tall, grassy trees. The side of Han's hometown was closer to the city, though. There were buildings close to each other and the streets were crowded with people. He had never told his new friends of his past, so he decided to leave out the fact that he had lived on the same streets when he was younger. He knew if he told Leia, she would look at him as though he were damaged, and he was anything but that.

"It reminds me of Tatooine," Luke murmured as he removed his helmet and helped Artoo off of his jet and entered the city. "Except not as much sand," he added when he stepped into a grass covered patch outside of what looked like a trading post.

"Not a lot of that," Solo agreed. Then, he was quiet.

Leia took note of Han's change of mood. It wasn't like him to be so quiet, especially when he had so much to make of her for. She was new to the planet, after all, and didn't know anything about the place.

Solo lead the group into the trading post. It definitely did look like the cities of Tatooine; the tent stood over a forest-like ground instead of a desert, but the usual parts and supplies were being bought and sold by vendors and smugglers alike.

The smugglers were easy to pick out; they looked as though they had been roaming outside for days. They were skinny, all wielded weapons, and had bad attitudes; Luke could feel it easily in the air. He wondered if Han had been as terrifying as some of them looked when he lived in the town.

"They're just trying to avoid a fight," Solo told his company when he saw them eyeing up the scavengers' weapons.

"There are more civil ways to do so," Leia scolded. "No wonder you're as brutal as they are."

"Brutal?" Han repeated and stopped in his tracks. He turned to her and narrowed his eyes, obviously not happy. "I'm nothing close to brutal, Princess," he spat, pointing a finger in her face.

"Courageous," Luke corrected, nudging Leia's shoulder in attempt to make peace of the situation.

She ignored him, though.

"Running into a bunch of Imperial Stormtroopers like an ape is no less brutal than courageous," Leia scolded Han.

Han was getting mad, and fast. "I could've just left you there," he told her.

Leia was silent; Solo had hit home with his last comment. He was right; it he didn't fly Luke to the Death Star to rescue her, she probably would've been exiled long before she ever made it away from Darth Vader and his troops.

There was an end the conversation when a young, female voice from behind one of the supply tables selling ship parts broke into the argument.

"Han...Solo?" A short girl, probably sixteen in age with long, brown hair slowly approached from around the table. "It can't be..." she whispered and studied him.

Leia, confused, looked at Solo. Secretly, she hoped he didn't know the girl who seemed to know him. The look on his face said otherwise, though. Feeling almost...bothered...Leia looked at the floor and steadied herself. Why did she care?

Han's gaze was softer than it had ever been before. Luke sensed him hold his breath at the sight of the girl. He didn't frown, but the sadistic smile that he usually wore on his face was replaced with his mouth agape and his eyebrows furrowed together in a kind of concern that he rarely allowed anyone to witness from him. He whispered something, almost inaudible, forgetting the others were still on tour with him.

"You look like..."


	6. Chapter V

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapters - been busy.**

 *****SPOILER ALERT*** I know that this might not be 100% accurate, since I haven't finished The Paradise Snare yet. For readers who have not read the canon, Bria was Han's love interest while escaping the Imperial Navy. She later committed suicide in a non canon book to escape being captured.**

* * *

V

"Bria?"

The young girl standing before Luke, Leia, Chewie,Threepio, and Artoo mentioned the name in a quiet, soft voice. It was obvious it wasn't a name she wanted to use. Somehow, there was something bad attached to it, and it seemed as though Han knew exactly why.

Han pressed his lips together in a sad frown. The girl seemed to read his mind, for she sighed and shook her head. Then, she looked at the ground and kicked a small rock away from where her foot rested.

With a sadness, she told Han, "don't worry, I'm just her cousin."

"Her cousin..." Solo repeated, never taking his eyes off of her.

The girl looked up and smiled at him. It was a warm smile, but the empathy she was feeling for him was very present. Then, she held out a hand to greet him.

"Eris," she introduced.

Han, who still looked bothered, didn't take her hand in greeting. Instead, he glanced at her table of ship supplies and then back at her.

"You're in the business, too?" the pilot asked Eris.

She nodded.

"I've been helping out my uncle," she told him.

"Renn," Han concluded out loud.

She nodded. "Since-"

Quickly, Eris cut herself off. She didn't want to remind herself of her cousin, but she knew it was too late for that inside.

Han swallowed a lump in his throat and took a deep breath. "It's okay," he told Eris. "I heard a long time ago."

"Heard what?" Leia whispered to Luke from behind Han's left side.

Luke shrugged, letting his company know that he was as confused as she was.

Leia's whisper must have interrupted Solo's train of thought, because he quickly stuck his thumbs in his pockets and turned on his heels so he could introduce his friends.

"This is Chewie," Solo told Eris, patting his friend on the shoulder. Chewie rumbled a reply and nodded at the girl. "And Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa," he finished.

He didn't bother addressing the droids because they were too busy talking to a retailer behind the group who was attempting to sell them a reprogramming package in case they were failed to boot.

"A Princess," Eris teased. She raised an eyebrow at Han and silently made fun of him. When he glared at her, she dropped the act. Then, she turned to Luke. "Luke Skywalker..."she murmured. "The-"

Her question was cut off by Han almost immediately. He could predict her well.

"The same one," he informed her.

"What an honor," Eris gasped, taking a step towards Luke. "It's not every day a poor Corellian meets the legend that destroyed the Empire's base."

She reached her arms out in a hug for Luke. It was unexpected, but she pulled him in and kissed his cheek when he leaned down to receive her spontaneous embrace. He blushed briefly when he caught Leia's eye.

"Hey, this Corellian has to put _up_ with him every day," Solo commented with a smug roll of the eyes.

"And a lucky one, at that," Eris threw back when she let Luke go. Then, she straightened herself out and stood tall to address Han's return to home. "So what do you want, Solo?"

Eris's voice was suddenly stern. The atmosphere had changed in just a second, leaving the others more confused than they had already been.

"Don't do that," Han ordered with another eye roll.

"There's only two things that would bring the great Han Solo back to Corellia," she taunted. "Fulfilling shipments or racking up bad debts."

Eris walked back to her table. She straightened up a few pieces that were pushed aside by the breeze to make it look neat. When her back was turned to the group, Han quickly turned to his friends and shrugged his shoulders, trying to make nice of the situation so he wouldn't get yelled at later. It didn't work.

"I thought you said you had a friend here," Leia growled, instantly furious that once again, Han had gotten them into trouble.

"I do!" Solo insisted. When she saw her eyes squint into an analysis of him, he added, "just not her."

"If I had any account of how many times we've gone out of our way because of your lies," Leis began.

Han jabbed back at her before she could attack him further. "What? Hmm?" he pressed. "What would you do? Get stuck on the Death Star again?"

"No-" she began, but was interrupted again.

"Fall into another garbage disposal?"

"No, I'd-"

Then, a chuckle interrupted the argument.

"You're still the same old Han Solo I've heard too much about," Eris said in a kind voice. She was teasing, but it was friendly. Then she turned back to Solo. "Shall I take you to Renn?" she asked.

Han accepted her gesture for guidance to his friend. She asked her droid to watch the stand while she was gone. Then, she lead them back behind her table and exited the tent.

"Take a shot at her, kid," Han whispered to Skywalker before they took after Eris. "She seems to like you."

He smiled his half smile when he teased Luke. He was only joking, but he did hate how Luke looked at Leia sometimes. He caught Luke's subtle blush one more time before he looked ahead.

"Still at that dump of a workshop," Solo muttered as they approached a building behind the trading post.

The building was more of a warehouse, but the back was built into a small mountain, so you couldn't tell from the front. Han knew, though. Too well.

"Not much has changed," Eris told him. Then, she tried to change the subject. "What do you need from him, anyway?"

Ruffling his hair, he took a deep breath and answered her question. "A ship."

She almost stopped dead in her tracks. "A ship?!" she asked in shock. "You know he'll have your hide before he ever helps you out with another one of those things!"

Instantly, Han regretted coming back to his home. Leia shot him a fowl look and gave her one just as mean back. Then, the Princess scolded him again.

"Is this how all of your friends treat you?" she asked him in a growl.

"I only owe him a small payment," he promised Leia, but he knew she didn't buy it. "Okay, okay," he gave in. "It was a long shot. But this is the only shot you have if you want to make it all the way to Naboo!"

"I'd like to test my luck," Leia snorted. She turned her head up in dismissal of the conversation.

Luke, admiring the broken down ships outside of the building and realizing their potential, caught the end of the argument between Han and Leia and tried to get it to end.

"How do you know this guy, anyway?" Skywalker prodded.

"Renn?" Solo asked. It was a dumb question. Of course he meant Renn. After a pause, he chose just to go with, "just someone I used to work for."

"Not just," Eris snapped.

Solo could tell he had hit a sore spot when he spoke of Renn that way. She was family, after all, and probably missed Bria just as much as Han did, himself.

"Please, tell me more," Leia snarled at Han as the group stopped outside of the building.

"Someone he used to work for, and his ex-lovers father," Eris replied before she stepped forward to access the building.

 _Thanks a lot,_ was all Han thought after she told Leia and Luke about Bria. He knew Chewie knew his past, so it wouldn't shock him at all. Leia, especially, would be a tough one, now, though. She loved to jab at him, and even when it hurt, he had to play it tough so no one would think any less of the smuggler.

"And do something with your hair again, will you?" Eris called back to Han.

"My hair?" he asked with repulse.

She gave him another smile over her shoulder. "She was right. You do look better scruffy." Then, she had the rest wait outside while she spoke with the shipman.

Chewie gargled a laugh out as he saw Han's embarrassment meet his sadness. Solo let it go; he knew Chewie had no idea that Bria used to tell him the same thing, so it wasn't entirely his fault.

Artoo beeped a few things, possibly in warning, but only Threepio and Luke could understand his jumbled up noises. Luke ducked down to meet the level of the small robot and looked up at Threepio to translate.

"What is it, Artoo?" the young Jedi asked.

Han listened for the warning from the little droid, but couldn't make it all out because Leia took the opportunity to further her nosiness into Han's life.

"Must you sleep with every woman you meet?" Leia scolded when he lifted his hand to pat down his ragged, brown hair.

Annoyed, he turned to her and grabbed her arm. He pulled her close and knew she was blushing, but it didn't faze him. Not this time.

Leia could feel Han's breath on her cheeks as he spoke. He was angry, but it wasn't anything unusual. What _was_ unusual, however, was how hands on he had gotten since their Death Star celebration. Sure, she had been nice to him, but she had never once told him she would soften up, or even that she cared for his friendship.

"She wasn't just another woman!" Solo spat in her face.

Leia was taken aback by his tone. She had gone too far.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, and he knew she meant it.

Han's face softened and he let her go. He stood up tall again and faced the building once more. Slyly, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before the doors opened to let them inside.

"Not every woman," he whispered. "I haven't gotten you yet." Then he winked.

Han would have loved to hear her response, but the double doors to the warehouse swung open and revealed Eris, along with a taller man in a long cloak; Renn.

"Han Solo," Renn greeted from the doorway, interrupting the dispute. "I suppose you're in trouble again?"


	7. Chapter VI

**A/N: I tried to put in some more of Luke for this chapter. I really do like to focus on Han and Leia, because I feel like I can grasp their characters well, but Luke is still essential to the plot.**

 **I also wanted to address a really sweet review I received two days ago that you can read in the reviews section of the story. It said, in short: "I...** **like stories better when the galaxy and our heroes were still what they used to be..." I wanted to thank you for this nice comment, because my goal is to write something similar to a script that could have played in between ANH and ESB. I wanted to keep the characters original, because I know my love for them comes from who their are in the films/canon novels.  
**

 **Additionally, even though it has been a few days, I wanted to send my deepest regrets out about the loss of Glenn Frey. Yes, I am only 22, but the Eagles are one of my favorite bands, and the news struck me hard. I listened to Desperado and Lyin Eyes, two of my favorites, while writing this chapter in tribute.**

 **Lastly, please read and review to let me know what you think!**

* * *

VI

It was no surprise that Renn Tharen expected the same thing out of Han Solo that his niece, Eris, did. Han didn't seem to be respected that much on Corellia. He didn't want to admit it, but it made sense. The time he had spent on the planet had been nothing but robberies and begging on the streets. He worked hard for his life, but got into a lot of trouble when he was younger. When he finally got out of the system, he realized he needed his own ship. Renn had helped him with it because of Bria, but once it was ready to go, Han had undercut him and taken most of Renn's droids as a starting crew on the _Millennium Falcon_.

"Trouble? Well, it's a long story, really..."Solo stammered.

Han tried to play it off cool. He knew Renn had never forgiven him for taking off as he did. He was worried that the term 'friend' wasn't the best to use.

Renn Tharen heaved a sigh and folded his arms in his cloak. Luke kept his gaze on the old man; he reminded him of Obi-Wan Kenobi with the way he stood and his choice of wardrobe. The dark brown cloak just barely grazed the ground in the wind. It made sense on the warm planet, just as it did on Tatooine; the light fabric kept the debris away, along with the heat.

Artoo beeped a few times, agreeing with Luke's thoughts.

"Yes, Artoo," Luke whispered to the droid at his hip. "But he's not a Kenobi."

"A Kenobi?!" Threepio gasped, his robotic voice breaking at a high tone in surprise.

"No," Luke chuckled, trying to quiet the droid. "Just the same clothing, that's all."

Han looked at the ground in annoyance at Luke's side comments; he had been muttering something about Obi-Wan and the Force since he witnessed his mentor being assassinated by Darth Vader on the Death Star before they escaped with Leia. He never believed in that Jedi stuff, but it was starting to make more sense to him as of late.

"There's always a long story," Renn grumbled, finally replying to Han.

Solo shrugged and took a deep breath as he said, "Have I ever not been able to get out of it?"

Renn studied him for a moment and then relaxed. "I suppose you're right," he told his old friend. "But your luck might run out one day, Solo."

"Well, that's the thing..." Han lead on, hoping Renn would ease up on him.

"What? Run out of money again?" Tharen could sense Han's troubled mind.

"We're on our way to Naboo and we need a ship," Leia interrupted. "The rest of the Rebllion is waiting, and Han has lost his ship."

She was getting impatient with the banter back and forth between Han and Renn. They needed to meet with their scouts on the new planet before the Imperials tracked them down.

Han immediately turned towards Leia and gave her a look that dared to ask why she had blurted out all of that information. Then, it hit him. She had accused _him_ of losing his ship.

"Watch it, Princess!" he ordered.

Chewie gargled a defensive yell as Leia accused his companion of misplacing the _Falcon_. He was obviously upset with her putting him in the spotlight as the bad guy, even though he was the one who had let the ship slip from his grasp. When he stepped forward, though, Han made sure he remembered that.

"You stay out of this, too, fur ball," Solo told him as he pointed a finger in his direction.

"Naboo?" Renn asked. "What's on Naboo?"

Han was thankful; Renn didn't bother to ask where the _Falcon_ was. Instead, he asked about the _other_ thing he didn't have an answer to.

Solo began another shrug, but when Leia sensed his made up reply, she stepped in again.

"The Rebellion has joined with the remnants of the officials from the old Senate," she told him.

"Senate?" Luke asked, stunned. "That was nearly twenty years ago!"

Leia loved how she always was able to confuse the boys. She simply listened to everything going on around her at base. They ran past and didn't have the interest that she did. They were boys; they wanted to accomplish their goals and blow things up. Even if Luke was a Jedi in training, he had similarities to Han that the two would never openly realize.

"Yes," Leia told him, glancing in his direction. "The Emperor may have tried to kill the Jedi, but not the entire Senate."

"We have to go find them!"

"What do you think I'm trying to do here?" Leia snapped.

Luke softened immediately; he wasn't one to get into arguments. He was just curious. Unfortunately, Renn took the break of quietness to jump into the next question.

"What happened to the _Millennium Falcon_?" he asked Han, who was busy taking in what the Princess had just told them.

"The big oaf over here lost it to some bounty hunter," Solo told Renn, throwing his arm over his shoulder to gesture towards Chewie as he spoke.

The Wookie rumbled in frustration again, but he knew Han would forgive him eventually. Listening to him, Han rolled his eyes and fought the urge to reply and start another fight.

"So you need a ship," Renn concluded.

Han faked a smile in an awkward silence that approved what Renn had suspected.

"I should be out to get you, after you ran out like you did last time!" the old man complained.

Renn had a soft heart, though. He could hold a grudge and take it out on Han, who had finally returned, but he knew his past and he knew how that never seemed to matter in the long run. Solo always accepted his punishment, but still came out swinging in the end. After all, the droids he had taken were only prototypes, and after Bria died, Eris had helped Renn make better ones.

"Listen," Han started. "I've got two good droids here that I can lend you to make up for those ones I took with me, but-"

"Oh!" Threepio shouted in agony, cutting off Han mid sentence. "Master Luke, surely you wouldn't get rid of us!"

Luke told the droid to quiet down, but assured him that wouldn't be the case. He valued him more than the golden robot knew.

"Don't worry, Solo," Renn replied calmly. "Bria would want me to get over that. She'd have me help."

Han smiled a genuine smile this time. _Bria_ , he thought. He hadn't remembered her in a long time, so it was hard to hear those words from Renn. He was grateful, but it came with a price.

"Have your friends get a drink and rest," the father figure offered. "We can find something that suits you while they wait."

Accepting his invitation, Leia and Luke gathered the others, except for Chewie, who would be helping Han with his search, for a trip back to the trading post with Eris. Han and Chewie followed Renn into the warehouse, ready to talk business with Renn.

"I want to go check out those parts over there," Luke excitedly told Leia as he began to rush off with Threepio struggling to keep up behind him. "Maybe we can put a new radar system together once we get to Naboo!" he yelled over his shoulder.

Leia shook her head. As much as she loved Luke, she hated how he acted like a little kid sometimes. Maybe it was just that she was forced to be an adult at such an early age when she had to help govern Alderaan, or maybe it was putting up with that low life, smuggler scum that she sometimes called her friend, but she felt more adult that the rest on an everyday basis.

"He certainly has a lot of energy," Eris observed as Luke ran away.

Leia almost forgot the girl was still standing with them. She had escorted the group back, but she was quiet.

"He definitely does," she agreed.

Eris smiled. "Let me go find something for you all to drink," she offered, and was gone before Leia could decline the offer.

"It's okay, Artoo," she muttered to the droid standing at her hip. "We'll find someone who wants our company to talk to."

Leia and the Artoo unit began their walk through the trading post tent and wandered the tables to pass time, hoping Han and Renn would be fast.

* * *

Eris stood at her table in the trading post, tiding up her belongings. As she did so, she scanned the area, monitoring who was near. Luke and Leia, along with the droids, were off and about far in the distance. There was no doubt that they couldn't hear her behind her store. She knew she only had a few moments to herself; she promised Leia a beverage and would be expected back quickly.

Pulling out a radio that resembled Han's small, cylinder droid caller that he always carried on his belt, the Tharen girl radioed a recipient that wasn't on Corellia.

"Commander Shrike," she greeted in a sing song voice over the radio. "You'll _never_ guess what I've got here for you today."

A few seconds went by and then a static sounded through the system before a low, male voice replied back to her call.

"Eris."

All that was needed was one word to probe the girl into saying more.

"That Corellian boy you've been looking for," she murmured darkly. "He's here."

Silence.

Eris was confused, and didn't know if she should repeat herself, but eventually the voice spoke again.

"The Solo kid," it confirmed in surprise.

"Yes," she told him. "He's with a Wookie, a Princess, a boy, and two droids. Renn is speaking with him."

"Keep him busy," Shrike ordered. "It's time for him to pay after what he did to Garris."

"Yes, sir," Eris confirmed. Then, she was hesitant. "And the money?" she asked quietly.

"It will be delivered by one of my droids after we have him."

* * *

On the other side of the trading post, Luke was jumping into a table full of rusty parts that a small, reptile-like being was trying to pawn off on him for what seemed like a low price.

"Sir, perhaps we should get a new radiator for Artoo while we're here," Threepio suggested to Luke, who was picking apart a box of metal remains from an AT-AT that had stumbled through a long time ago.

"A new radiator?" the boy asked. "Why? He's still working just fine!"

"Well, between you and me, sir," Threepio stammered. "Artoo gets himself into a lot of trouble. It would be wise to invest in replacement parts for the next time he malfunctions."

"We can get those anywhere," Luke argued.

He was genuinely interested in a refractor from the old Imperial walker to help out the scope on the _Falcon_ ' _s_ blaster canons once they got it back. He picked up the small eyeglass and examined it, watching how the light seared through the lens. Then he attempted to see something in the distance of the field they had landed in through it.

When Luke scanned the horizontal skyline for their Rebellion transport, he caught glimpse of another ship touching down in the grassy moor. It wasn't as big as theirs; it looked more like a passenger ship to carry three or four officers.

The tiny ship landed and extended its loading ramp. When it was still and powered down, two guards came out first, followed by an officer and a Wookie that looked a bit smaller than Chewie, along with two backing guards.

He tried to make out the officer's unit, but it was still too far away. They weren't Imperial officers; the man in the middle was decorated. He walked with a limp, but tried desperately to keep his body upright to show his authority. One arm was hidden behind a cape that covered the side of his body, along with his back.

Slowly, Luke lowered the lens back to his waist but kept his stare ahead of him.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," he murmured, shaking his head.

Then, he put the refractor back on the table and turned to run back into the crowd of Corellian bargainers.

"We have to find Leia and get back to Han!" the young Jedi called to his droid, who jumped a little in surprise before attempting to speed walk after his mater. "Come on, Threepio! Let's get out of here!"

Threepio wanted to tell the boy that he couldn't run as fast as him, especially in a crowd, but it wouldn't matter. Instead, all he said was, "I'm right behind you, Master Luke!"


	8. Chapter VII

**A/N: Exciting times!** **I've finally set up the story...so now it gets interesting! ;) Please read and review.**

 **For those who haven't read the canon books...in the first Han Solo trilogy, Han escapes from what is sort of like a child trafficking ring to join the Imperial Navy. Before that, he was raised on a ship that orbited near Corellia by a man named Garris Shrike. His brother was injured on his arm, thus the cloak, when Han escaped and was reported to 'never be the same again' when Han finally met Garris again at a later part in the trilogy and killed him. During his stay with the Shrike brothers, he was ordered to be a thief and con artist in order to bring back things from the wealthy people on Corellia. When he went against orders, Garris abused and tortured him severely, which is what lead to his grand escape. Wookies were present on the ship, one being Han's best friend until she was murdered in the escape, thus the Wookie guard I gave Larrad.**

 **Also, I wanted to say that FINALLY, my book has been released on Amazon and on digital for the Kindle! If you're interested, check it out; the title is 'Wildest Dreams' by Shannon Rona.**

 **And lastly...thank you for the kind words I've received! Please keep the criticism coming!**

* * *

VII

"I know that Rebel ship has more space for all of their equipment, but without a shield generator that functions, we won't make it through the rest of the core."

In Renn's workshop, Han was arguing with Chewie as he inspected a boxy looking version of the _Millennium Falcon_. It wasn't the same, so he would never compare the two. Just by looking at it, he knew the stowaway space that the Falcon had wasn't included and the bunks in a small cabin weren't included in the design, but it had the same type of controls that he was used to piloting. He hadn't flown anything else since his Imperial Navy days, which, he reminded himself, he didn't want Leia or Luke to find out about. Dealing with the questions he'd get about Bria once they got out of Corellia was enough to think about.

Han ran his hand over the smooth surface of the bottom of the ship, checking for any fractures in the body or parts that would need replacing before they could enter hyperspace. He looked at every detail closely, his mouth parted half way as his forehead wrinkled in concentration. He tilted his head to keep his sight on the ship as he bent down to the parts that were closer to the ground.

Chewie, standing away from the ship, rumbled an argument in defense of his opinion.

Not taking his eyes off of his inspection, Han answered with, "Every Imperial fleet out there is looking to hunt us down, buddy."

Another argument from the Wookie.

"Well that's why we need the shields up," he replied sarcastically.

Chewie dismissively agreed to disagree with a faint chatter about Leia being upset about the lack of storage before quieting down. Han, who had finished crawling under the ship and returned to his friend's side, hooked his thumbs in his belt and glared at the big furry creature beside him.

"Her royal Highness has too much on that ship, anyhow. It would do her some good to clean house before we get to Naboo," Solo retorted.

Then, the two were interrupted by the sound of distant footsteps of someone running in their direction. Both turned around, as if their actions were synced, and saw a blur of a Rebel fighter suit coming towards them. The orange stood out nicely on the green landscape.

"Guys!" A frantic Luke Skywalker called as he caught up to the building's open doors. He collapsed so his hands rested on his knees while he caught his breath. "Where's Leia?" he asked as soon as he was able to speak.

"Thought she was with you," Han told him.

The last they saw of the Princess, she was headed off with Artoo-Deetoo into the trading post, following Luke and See-Threepio.

"No, I went to check out some parts for the ship." Luke was concerned. "I thought she came back to you."

"No sign of her, kid," Han informed him.

Luke stood up straight and headed for the loading ramp of the ship Han and Chewie had been checking out.

"We gotta get out of here," he ordered, looking back at his crew.

"Well hold on a minute," Solo told the boy, taking a step toward him and grabbing his arm. "What's the rush?"

Luke caught his steps and turned to face Han. "We're in danger," he warned him. "A transport just landed with a commander and several of his officers."

"The Empire?" Solo asked, trying to figure out the enemy.

"No, I don't think so," Luke said, discouraged.

"Well then what's the danger?"

Han didn't get why Luke was so scared of a fleet landing. For all they knew, it could just be another group, like themselves, landing to get some supplies or fuel up.

"I can feel it," Luke told him flatly.

Skywalker knew Han never believed in the Force. He had told him so back on the _Falcon_ when Obi-Wan was teaching him the basics of it all. He didn't want to argue about it now. Part of him anticipated Solo trying to fight with him so they could stay.

Instead of arguing, though, Han let go of Luke's arm and frowned.

"All right," he agreed.

Solo moved away from the two to walk around the ship to where Renn was working on one of his droids while they were inspecting. Luke stayed with Chewie; he wanted to keep a look out for Leia if she was making her way back to the building. Then it hit him; Theepio had never made it back with him.

"Hey Han!" Luke called to his friend. "I'm gonna go collect Threepio. He never made it back, either!"

But just as he was about to run back out into the sunlight, he heard a reply from Solo.

"I think we have some bigger problems, kid," Han shouted back, stopping Luke from leaving.

When he came back around the side of the ship, Chewie let out a yowl louder than anything Luke had ever heard before. Solo had his hands behind his head in the air, and his DL-44 was missing from the holster on his right leg. Then, two Imperial guards walked out behind him, their own blasters pointed at the pilot's back.

"I'm sorry," Renn apologized, walking out behind them. "They tracked you down and got to me while you were looking over the ship. I had no choice."

Han rolled his eyes, but didn't reply.

"You, with the boy," the Stormtrooper on the left shouted at Chewie. "Drop your weapon and put your hands up!" He pointed his weapon at the two while the other guard kept his on Han's back.

Luke could sense an evil present, but didn't announce it. Vader. He kept the idea of his lightsaber in the back of his mind; the Imperial's didn't know he had it. The weapon was tucked away in his boot, hidden from view.

"Go ahead, Chewie," Solo called to his friend.

The Wookie moaned, but did what he was told. He put his crossbow down on the ground and then lifted his hands up. Luke mimicked him, not letting on about his plan.

Then, the Stormtrooper radioed into his caller on his wrist. "We have Solo, the Wookie, and the boy," he informed whoever was on the other end.

"Good, I'm glad you could succeed without letting me down." Vader's voice rang loud and clear back. "Bring them to the transport immediately."

"Yes, sir."

 _The transport_. Vader must be on Corellia somewhere close. His presence was strong in Luke's mind. He could sense the power of the Dark Side. It was coming through stronger than he wanted it to.

"Let's go," the other Stormtrooper ordered, poking Han in the back to get him moving.

Solo scowled at the guard, but started walking towards Luke and Chewie. When he reached them, he gave his friends an apologetic look. He didn't have time to say anything else, though, because when the group looked ahead to start their journey into the open, they were stopped by another unit: the one Luke had seen land by the edge of the trading post.

"Not so fast," the commander demanded.

The officer was hidden behind hi soldiers, as he was when he came off of his ship, so only his voice was heard, but it was a voice that chilled Han to the bone. Luke felt his friend's heartbeat race when he heard the demand, but he wasn't sure why.

"We have direct orders from Lord Vader to escort these Rebels to the Empire," the first Stormtrooper informed the new commander.

"You can have the boy and the Wookie," the commander agreed. He stepped forward, out of hiding behind his officers. Then, the proposition. "But I want the Solo kid."

"Kid?" Han snapped. It had been almost ten years; he wasn't a kid anymore. "Who are you calling kid?"

The commander's cape wrapped around him as he stepped forward. His eyes, which were lit with satisfaction, focused on Han and his glare that wanted to burn the man alive.

"I guess it has," he agreed. "Han," he greeted.

"Larrad," Solo said smartly back. He didn't want to make it seem like a greeting; there was no one he wanted to see less than the commander standing in front of him. Larrad was brother to the officer who had raised him; the one who had beaten him and tried to kill him when he got older...the one who he had killed. There was no doubt in Han's mind that this was the revenge he had been seeking all those years.

"Release the smuggler," Larrad ordered the Imperial officers.

"We are on direct orders," the Stormtrooper argued. "Get out of the way, or we'll move for you."

The threat was not followed through well. They didn't move any further forward, due to another presence that made its way to stand next to Larrad. It was a Wookie, like Chewbacca, and with it came...

"Eris?" Renn questioned quietly.

"I'm sorry, Uncle," she told him sincerely. "We needed the money."

However, in the Wookie's arms was a body; a girl's body. She was laying with her head hanging back, obviously unconscious.

"Leia..." Luke whispered.

"We have the girl." Larrad spoke with security. He knew he would get Han, one way or another.

The Stormtroopers looked at each other, probably exchanging blank glances and trying to decide what to do. Leia was more important to the Emperor, but they had already told Vader that they had Han in their grasp, so showing up without him would only make the Dark Lord angry.

Seeing the moment of opportunity, Luke reached his hand out for his lightsaber faster than anyone in the room could handle. The weapon flew to his hand instantly. Turning it on, Luke took a fighting stance and faced the Stormtroopers. They had the weapons...they were the worst threat. He was only thankful that Vader wasn't actually with them.

One of the Stormtroopers tried to outsmart Luke and shoot at his legs to unbalance him, but Luke was quick. He blocked the shot with his light beam and it bounced back, hitting the soldier flat in the chest and knocking him out cold to the ground. One down.

The other tried to take Han in his hands and used him as a shield, but Chewie was fast and knocked him off his feet as the Imperial went to grab his friend.

"Thanks, Chewie," Solo said with gratitude as he stood behind Luke and his green light.

"Give her back," Luke demanded. He sounded almost childish; he was still young, and it showed at times.

"A trade," Larrad offered. "The Princess for the smuggler." Then, a pause as two more soldiers came out from behind the ground, both wielding weapons. "Or do you want to fight for them?"

Luke knew he would win if he tried, but he couldn't quite gasp the use of the Force perfectly yet. There was a chance the soldiers could take him out. He frowned in frustration.

Chewie roared a defensive roar from behind Han. Solo looked back at his friend and smiled, trying to look reassuring.

"They can't hurt me," he promised his companion. When the Wookie argued, Han told him, "I'll be fine."

"You can't possibly be think-" Luke stammered, but Solo cut him off.

"You take Leia."

Han was sincere with his request. Suddenly, Luke felt a warmth come over his friend, but he couldn't quite place a finger on what had caused it.

"Han," Luke argued, taking a breath in as he gave his friend a pleading look.

"I have some business to take care of, anyway," Solo continued.

Immediately, the Wookie tossed Leia to the ground in front of the group as the armed soldiers surrounded Han and secured his hands behind his back with restraints. He kept his gaze on Luke as they paraded him away and out the door until they forced him to turn around and walk straight ahead.

"Get going, kid!" He winked and faked a smile before he left the boy's sight.


	9. Chapter VIII

**A/N: I had some computer issues which have since been resolved, thus the delay in updating. Sorry! Please read and review! I love to hear your thoughts!**

 **On a side note, I wanted to make sure everyone understood the following. Dewlanna is a real character in the Star Wars world. She raised Han on Garris's ship, Trader's Luck, which is also mentioned in this chapter. If you want to learn more about Dewlanna, her death, and Han's escape, please feel free to either read the first Han Solo trilogy, or look up more information online! :)**

* * *

VIII

The warehouse on Corellia never seemed so dark before, but to Eris, who was left by Larrad and the other officers, it was now tainted. Shortly after the ship Renn was about to give Han took off, with Chewie piloting, a new army of troops swept through the building.

The Jedi and his friends made a fast escape. Luke had vowed to rescue Han from Shrike's ship, but his first priority was making sure Leia was okay. It took a lot to restrain Chewie from taking out Eris and her uncle, but he had channeled what he knew of the Force to control his friend. The Wookie would be able to pilot the ship, if he was focused, and now that Luke had killed the two Stormtroopers that had held Renn hostage, Vader would surely be after them before too long. If they were caught, there was no shot at freeing Solo.

Skywalker was right; Eris tried to flee, but Vadrer did come with more troops, just as they expected. Thinking quickly, she ducked under a couple of droids stocked in the corner of the building, behind two other ships. She hoped she was hidden well enough.

Eris wished she would've called to her uncle before her decision to run, but there was no time; when she peered out from her hiding spot, she saw dust blowing through the doors as an entire fleet of Stormtroopers paraded into the warehouse. In the back, Vader entered, along with a face she had only seen on posters; Boba Fett. He must have warned him about his capture of Han Solo.

Then, after all of Vader's back up had entered…silence. His breathing picked up and echoed through the metal building. Though his face was hidden, Eris imagined his cold stare at Renn.

"Where are the others?" the Dark Lord asked the old man, who was on his knees after the Stormtroopers had been taken out.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Renn boldly stated. He was taking the route of denial; he knew he was done for.

Luke had drug the two Stormtroopers on board the ship in order to raid their gear and weapons for Leia to use once she healed, so there was no trace of them on the planet.

"Don't play me for a fool, ship crafter," Vader ordered. His voice grew louder as each sentence passed. "The two who captured Solo and his Wookie friend, where have they gone?!"

When Renn didn't answer, Vader lifted his hand to slowly attempt to choke the knowledge out of him. Tharen's body lifted off of his knees, but his hands were grasped around his neck, as though trying to pry Vader's ghost fingers off of him.

"Where _are_ they?" Vader demanded again.

Still no answer, just noises of the old man suffocating. Eris tried her hardest to drown out the noises of his torture. She closed her eyes and hugged the wall, careful not to disturb the droids and alert the invaders of her hiding spot.

Finally, Vader let Renn go. His body fell back to his knees while he gasped for air. Then, the order came.

"Kill him," Vader announced. "Search the city, then report back to my ship at once. If they're still on this planet, I want them alive."

Then, firing was heard echoing through the open building as the execution of Renn took place. Eris knew if she gave into her sorrow, Vader would sense her presence, so she held as still as she could, taking quiet, deep breaths. He wasn't fooled, though. He hesitated for a moment on his way back through the open doors, peering over his shoulder at the corner of the warehouse where Eris was hiding.

"Such a shame he wouldn't cooperate," he muttered. It was almost inaudible to the girl, but she knew it was meant for her.

Then, the Dark Lord proceeded in exiting.

* * *

"Get us out of here, Chewie!"

The ship that Renn had been working on wasn't quite finished, but it aided the group on their escape nicely. Luke was sitting copilot while Chewbacca managed most of the controls. He wasn't quite sure how to navigate the display boards to pilot the aircraft himself; Han had showed him a bit of how to fly the _Falcon_ , but it didn't come second hand yet.

Chewie yowled an agreement to the Jedi in training and hit a couple switches. Within seconds, they were speeding through hyperspace. When the ship finally settled and took to the speeds, Luke gave up his copilot chair and went to visit the others in the small sitting area in a cabin behind the cockpit. Chewie said he could handle getting to Naboo, so Luke let him operate on his own so he could check on the Princess.

"Master Luke!" Threepio's greeting was similar every time, but he was always chipper.

"How is she?" Skywalker asked immediately.

"Her system is being monitored, sir," the droid replied.

He followed Luke through a door and to a small cabin with a single bunk against a wall. Leia was on her back, still asleep and undergoing treatment. Shrike had loaded her up with a stunner, something made from one of the Dagobah insects that swarmed some caves under the jungle of that planet. It was used as a secret weapon for the Imperials, but Luke had never seen it in the hands of anyone else.

A monitor beeped with her heartrate…the only sound in the cabin. She looked peaceful, but Luke knew as soon as she woke, he would have a ton of explaining to do. He worried for her; he could tell her bickering with Han was more than just bickering, despite how much he cared for her.

"Artoo preformed several checks on her bloodline and has hypothesized that the poison will be out of her system shortly," Threepio added after Luke stayed silent.

"Hypothesized?" he asked his droid.

"Yes, Master Luke," he replied. "Artoo cannot say for certain."

Suddenly, Luke had a fear in the back of his mind that Leia might not wake up. He attempted to close his eyes to relax and attempt to connect with the Princess, but felt nothing. He was sure if it was a bad decline, the droids would inform him as soon as they knew. He pushed the fear to the back of his head.

"Alert me if anything changes," Skywalker ordered as he turned and went to accompany Chewie in the cockpit once again.

"Will do, sir, but…" Threepio interrupted, stopping Luke just before he was able to leave the room. "Have you located Commander Solo?"

"Not yet, Threepio," Luke told him softly. "We'll get him back, though."

* * *

Commander Shrike's transport docked on his ship, the same ship that his brother, Garris, had ruled; _Trader's Luck_. As soon as the ramp extended and the crew began to unload, Han Solo felt a giant hole in his stomach.

 _All these years and now I'm right back where I started,_ Solo thought to himself as a guard poked him in his side and forced him to stand.

The thought of going back into that cell where Garris had tortured him and made him pay for trying to escape time after time had been buried deep inside for a long time. Before, it was just a fear. Now, it was real.

"Get up, Solo," Larrad ordered as he pulled on Han's restraints to get him into a standing position.

For once, Han had nothing to say. He remembered when Garris had whipped him. When he had broken his bones. When Dewlanna had crushed Larrad after Han had knocked Garris out on his final escape.

 _Dewlanna_. That was a name Han hadn't thought of in years. Not because he didn't want to think about her, but because he missed his Wookie friend so much in the beginning, that the only way to harden up and deal with his smuggler lifestyle was to push it to the back of his memory.

Larrad lead Han off the ship and onto the docking platform where all of his last encounters on _Trader's Luck_ had occurred. He stepped over the cool tile beneath their feet where he had climbed onto the robot transport to finally leave the awful place. Then, he passed where he had held Dewlanna as she faded into what he had then called 'life power'. He felt dumb, now. She obviously meant she was a believer in the Force.

"I'm thrilled to have you back at home," Larrad told Solo as they made their way through the troops and a group of children who waited inside.

The young kids reminded Han of himself when he was younger. They were all skinny and dirty. It was part of the show they had to put on in order to beg and steal from the richer side of Corellian folks on the streets. Some had bad bruises that they were hiding under their torn clothes. Others had scars, either from escaping homes during a theft or from Larrad punishing them.

"Thrilled to be here," Han muttered under his breath.

The kids stared as his passed and he faked a smile and nodded in their direction. They admired his fancy dress; to Han, his clothes didn't matter much, but to the kids, it was something of royalty. They didn't know what it was like to have anything that wasn't dirty or shredded.

When they reached a cell block, which Han remembered as a bunk for one of the boys he used to be sent to Corellia with, he was shoved onto the floor by the same guard who had poked him in the transport.

"Watch it," he snapped as he stood back tall on his feet.

"Han Solo," Larrad spoke from the doorway. "I never thought I'd see this day, but I must say, wherever Garris may be, he must be looking down with much approval."

Han ignored the taunt.

"What are you gonna do to me this time?" he asked in a steady voice, staring down his enemy. "Lock me up without food for a few days? Break a leg or two?"

Solo's words seemed to annoy Shrike. He instantly spat back in his face.

"You are to be executed upon orders first thing in the morning," he told the smuggler.

Solo suspected as much. He didn't reply, just calmly stared down Shrike. Then, the doors shut and he heard the clicking of locks as they sealed closed. Han imagined Luke would come looking for him, too, but it might not be quick enough. He would attempt to escape, again.


	10. Chapter IX

**A/N: Sorry for the delay; been sick the past few days with really bad allergies. Here's some Luke story line for you all.**

 **PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! :)**

* * *

IX

The ship the group had left on to escape Renn and the Imperials worked, but she didn't fly too great. The hyperspace unit malfunctioned quickly after they left the orbit of Corellia, but it was enough to get away from the threats on the planet for the time being.

Luke said copilot to Chewie in the cockpit; the Wookie felt bittersweet about the boy sitting in Han's chair, but knew he deserved it after everything they had been through together. It wasn't as though it was the _Millennium Falcon_ , anyhow, so it wasn't personal.

When the stars slipped into view again as the ship kicked out of hyperspace to cool down, Luke had rummaged through the back of the old ship to see if Renn had stored any parts that might help them fix it up, but he had no luck. Artoo had addressed the problem from the control monitor down the hall from the cockpit, announcing that the radiator of the communications panel was overheating and needed a patch in order to have the connections of the ship work properly. Luke guessed that Renn had never installed it correctly.

"If I may, sir," Threepio had told him when he was in the rafters looking for whatever he could find. "That radiator unit on Corellia would have been a good bargain, especially in this situation." Leave it to Threepio to kindly put you down.

"Chewie, where are we exactly?" the boy asked.

Chewie brought up a holographic map of the surrounding systems. It didn't venture far, but that was okay; there wasn't a way for them to get very far that quickly, anyway.

A low rumbly sound came from Chewbacca's throat. Luke still couldn't understand Wookie talk, but he tried his best. He could guess.

"Not too far from Correllia, huh?"

Another growl from the carpet.

"Artoo will get her patched up in no time," Luke promised.

Then, the anticipated interruption from the golden droid.

"Master Luke! Master Luke!"

Luke spun around in his copilot chair and met Threepio at the door. He leapt onto his feet to match his entrance, nearly stumbling.

The doors to the cockpit slid open and revealed an excited Threepio, his arms flailing around with energy.

"Princess Leia has awoken!" the droid informed his master.

Luke's eyes widened, but he was thankful, not frightened, for once. He thanked his droid for alerting him and asked Chewie to monitor their path and alert him if anything changed or Artoo finished repairing the communications panel. Then, he made his way through the big hauling space and a few more hallways and made his way to the bunk Leia was occupying.

When the doors slid open, Luke met her eyes instantly. They were pale with exhaustion, but still held life. The Princess sat up slowly in bed, but was able to push herself up after a struggle.

"You should lie back," Luke told her softly.

Leia's brow furrowed; she hated being told to sit back. She may be a princess, but she was no girl.

"I'm fine," she argued.

Luke let it go and took a seat on the stool next to her bed that he had placed in the room earlier. He read her vitals on the display monitor on the side of her bunk and lowered a temperature on a cooling unit in used above her head; the poison had given her a fever which had since reduced, so there was no need to freeze her.

"Where are we?" Leia asked, realizing she last remembered being on Corellia.

Luke continued to mess with the cooling unit, keeping his attention overhead. "The freighter Renn had in the warehouse. We got caught in the middle of Vader and some other commander."

"Another commander…" Leia whispered to herself.

Luke looked down at her suddenly, surprised she knew anything about what had happened. When they had brought her back to the group, she was already passed out.

"Yes. What do you remember?"

"Well," Leia told him, swinging her legs over the side of her bunk so she could face him. "That girl, Eris. She brought Artoo and I a nectar from Corellia to try as a drink."

"Artoo made it back without you," Luke told her quietly. He pushed her legs back into bed and she scowled at him. He continued anyway. "Showed up just before we were about to take this ship up."

"Yes, I remember him scurrying away when I was passing out," she confirmed.

"They gave you a stunner," Luke told her. "They were offering money to Renn and Eris in exchange for their help."

"Help?" Leia repeated. "With what?"

Luke was conflicted. He felt a sense of warmth from Han when he had offered himself eagerly in exchange for Leia's safety. He also knew Leia cared for the both of them, even if she put on a show from time to time. She valued them and their efforts in the Rebellion. He knew if he explained to her everything in detail, it may hurt her. But he also knew if he didn't, she would find out and be out on her own searching for Solo, so there was no easy way out for him.

"Capturing Han," he told her, staring her dead in the eyes. He wanted to read her reaction as best as he could.

"Han?" Leia whispered. Then, she looked down at the mattress underneath her legs.

"They took him instead," Luke told her. "Chewie is still trying to track him down, but we'll get him back, Leia," he promised.

Luke placed a hand on her shoulder when he vowed to retrieve the smuggler, as though trying to comfort her. He sensed something change in her, but couldn't figure out what; his use of the Force was still very rusty. Obi-Wan hadn't taught him everything before he had been killed, so Luke was learning mostly on his own.

"That man is going to get us killed!" Leia swore suddenly. She looked up at Luke angrily.

He was taken aback by her sudden temperament. And then, as if she knew what he was thinking, she changed back to kindness and sorrow for the loss.

"I'm going to find him," Leia told Luke in a matter-of-fact tone. There would be no arguing with her.

"Chewie is tracking down his location now. We're just waiting for Artoo to finished repairing the radiator and then—"

Without warning, an alarm sounded in the ship, cutting off Luke's sentence. It buzzed a repulsive sound repeatedly, alerting them that the ship was under fire. Immediately, he stood to his feet and made his way out of the bunk room and to the cockpit again.

"Stay here!" Luke ordered Leia over his shoulder as he left. He knew she wouldn't listen.

When he made it back to Chewie's side, his friend yowled and pointed at the map in front of him, indicating a red blip that was incoming from behind.

"Put up our shields," Luke ordered. Then he turned to Threepio, who was still in their company in the cockpit. "Where is Artoo on getting us into hyperspace?" he asked urgently.

The ship rocked as it took the impact of a blaster cannon of the ship behind them. Luke grabbed the wall for support, but remained standing.

"Still working, sir," See-Threepio informed him. "There is much to do to get it back together."

 _Great_. There would be no hyperspace to get them out of this situation.

"Chewie, can you pull up anything on our attacker?" he asked calmly, looking back to the map.

The Wookie yelled again and shook his big, furry head. Then, he jerked the ship down and to the left, swinging her hard and sharp in order to try to lose their company, but it didn't work.

"Keep up with the evasive maneuvers." Luke demanded. He had an idea. "What's in the docking bay below?"

"Two escape pods and a small transport, sir," Threepio recalled.

Luke smiled. "If I take the transport out of here, I might be able to distract them and get them off your tail," he shouted over the sudden jerking and thunderous noises coming from below as the ship was hit again.

Chewie rumbled from the piloting seat as he steered the ship to the right to avoid another cannon shot.

"I'll be okay," Luke promised him. "I'll meet up with you again when I lose them."

"Master Luke," Threepio argued. "The odds of surviving taking on a ship of that size in the little transport below are—"

"I can handle it." Luke took his lightsaber from the chair next to Chewie and secured it in his boot. "Make sure Leia gets her rest until I get back!"

The Wookie gargled an understanding, letting the Jedi know he would try his best. Then, Luke was off to the bottom hallways of the freighter where the small pods sat. Climbing into the little transport, he placed a helmet on his head and prepared himself for the hatch to unlock.

"Chewie, lower the hatch!" Luke called as he flicked on his communicator in the ship's dashboard and fired her up. "No sudden movements after I'm out! We want them to think I was the only one on board."

Slowly, the doors to the pad slid open and allowed Luke access to space. He was being let out below, so he had to prepare to take on the invader behind them as soon as he left the airspace of the ship.

Pushing a few buttons for display, he read the information on the attacker. Imperial. He should've guessed as much. By the looks of it, it could only house two or three people in the cockpit. Small, but still deadly.

Then, a message was intercepted from his display.

"Commander Skywalker."

The voice was deep and had an airy effect. Vader.

Luke didn't reply, but Vader continued, anyway.

"Surrender at once or my troops will shoot you down," the Dark Lord warned.

"I'll never give into you," Skywalker recited and ended the communication.

He hit a button for hyperspace on his pod and quickly burst into the outer system of the orbiting moons of Corellia in order to escape the situation. He only hoped that Vader would send his ship after him, instead of increasing attacks on Chewie and the others.

"Follow him," Vader ordered his ship from the grounds of Corellia before taking off with his fleet. He was angered by Luke cutting off his call. "Leave the Princess and the Wookie. Once we have the Jedi, he'll take us right back to the rest of them."


	11. Chapter X

**A/N: Please review if you've read! Watched A New Hope while writing this one...needed to get the characters back in focus!**

 **I watched two things that I wanted to share with you all recently. One, a movie called Fanboys. I don't know if anyone has ever seen this before, but it's a pretty popular movie that is about a group that absolutely loves Star Wars. If you're like me and know a lot of small details, you'll love the hidden things in this movie! Two, YouTube's video from A Bad Lip Reading called Bushes of Love. The group made three Star Wards bad lip readings, but then made a song out of Ben's initial meeting with Luke on Tatooine about love. It's honestly the most addictive tune I've heard in a while. Watch it and it'll be stuck in your head for days!**

* * *

X

The space Shrike had kept Han in was small and dark, but he didn't expect much else from a person who wanted to terminate him in mere hours. In the door was a slot for a tray of food; it was all he got for his stay. Everything reminded him of the Imperial prisons he had toured when he served as an Imperial Navy pilot, though the empty, flat shelf that was designed as a bunk resembled what Vader had given Leia as a bed while she was captured on the Death Star. He knew what he was in for deep down inside, but he tried to forget he used to be housed on the _Luck_.

For a moment, Han thought about eating. Then, he decided it wouldn't do any good; the tray didn't look appetizing and he wouldn't need food once he was dead, anyway. Once he decided it was best not to eat, he thought about his plan to escape. His hope had faded once the doors had locked behind him. Han wished he had even just one visitor, but no one had shown up except for the officer who had slid him his tray. Not even Luke had come to his rescue.

Han stared at the ceiling while lying on his back on the cold bunk shelf. He let his arms rest on his stomach. He missed the feeling of his blaster digging into his knee; Larrad had taken it the second he had brought him on board his transport. That, along with his boot knife, pocket blaster, and droid caller. The lack of weapons left him feeling helpless, which he pretty much was at this point.

Finally, a sound at the door made Han jump up into a sitting position. There was a shuffle of feet, and then a small face appeared as the doors opened.

Just a kid. Not really young, but maybe around ten or twelve. He seemed just about as old as Han had been when he was at home on the ship.

"Hey, kid," Solo called from his seat on the bunk. He smiled a half smile and tried his best to look put together. "What do you think you're doing in here? Lost?"

The boy shook his head. His shaggy hair flooded his eyes and he took a hand to brush it away. He didn't seem dirty, like Han used to be after work. He didn't even bear the clothes of a working kid on the ship. Instead, he looked well fed and wore a pair of black, straight cut pants and a clean, charcoal shirt similar to the one that Larrad wore, minus the decorations. When he pushed the hair out of his face and looked back at Han with his green eyes, he stood tall and straight.

"Father wanted to prepare you for procedures."

Father. The boy must be Shrike's…son? But who was his mother?

"Sorry for your misfortune, kid," Han told him. His smile fading. He leaned back against the wall of the bunk, relaxing again. He wasn't going anywhere, it seemed. "You got a mom, too?"

"She died." The boy was stern with his answers.

"Too bad," Solo answered in monotone.

Briefly, he wondered if the kid's mother was one of the women Garris had kept in his quarters when he was alive, but he didn't dare to ask. Even if the kid _was_ a Shrike, it wasn't his fault his family had been so awful.

Then, the boy strode forward until he was standing in front of Han. Solo sat forward, ready to converse with the kid, but before he could say much, the boy pricked his arm with a short needle.

"Hey!" Solo shouted, covering his arm where the needle had hit. "What it, kid! What are you doing?!"

"Orders from my father, sir."

"Don't you say anything else?" Han jabbed.

"I don't talk to prisoners."

That made Han mad. A kid, telling him he couldn't talk because his father deemed him a prisoner.

"Look kid, your dad's done more damage than I ever have," he started. "Just because…" His words started to blend together. "Just because…"

"Don't worry, sir," the boy told him kindly.

"What'd you do, anyhow?" Han asked again, this time barely managing to get his words out.

"A paralyzing injection to ready you for termination."

"Termin…termination?"

Then, Han's eyes rolled back into his head and he fell back onto the bunk in a sleeping state. The injection had done its work.

* * *

"I hope you know how to fly this thing," Leia called to Chewie, who sat in the cockpit of the ship they had taken from Renn. Chewie gargled a reply, keeping his eye out the windows in front of him.

"Princess!" See-Threepio, who sat copilot, didn't expect to see her out of bed just yet. "You must get back to bed at once!"

She shook her head at the droid. "I'm fine."

"But the stunner hasn't completed cycling through your system yet, and-"

But Leia had cut him off. "Chewie, have we located Han yet?"

Another roar.

"And what about Luke?" she asked. "I haven't seen him in some time."

"Why, he took an escape pod to fight off Vader," Threepio informed the Princess.

"Vader? Here?"

"Yes, but he's been gone for a while now. I suspect his plan worked and-"

Cut off again. "Chewie, what's our plan to pick up Han?"

A roar and a grumble came from the Wookie. Then, a holo display popped up on screen in front of them. A planet just ahead of them had an orbiting figure; a ring made up of many particles.

Chewie yelled again.

"He's in the Ylesian system?" Leia asked, stunned. "That's out of our way by a long shot!"

Chewie roared a deafening banter, angry that Leia had implied that it was too far of a trip to rescue his friend. Little did she know they had already been on path for over two hours, and at light speed, they would make landing just around 0400 hours.

"Oh, alright then." She was defeated.

Leia sank down into a chair behind Chewie and watched as their blue blip made it closer and closer to the red planet on the screen.

* * *

Space was quiet after Luke had made his push into hyperspace. He wasn't sure if Vader had followed, but he didn't dare chance going back to check. He had flown out of range of the commlinks between Chewie and him a while back. He hoped the group would be easy to find once he got back to their coordinates. Even leaving Artoo on board made him uneasy, but he was certain he could follow Ben's guidance and learn how to feel them when he arrived back.

Then, as if someone had read his mind, his ship faltered as it was hit by a laser gun from behind. He maneuvered the controls so he could pivot down, and then up again. He made a loop and then twisted out of it to return back the way he had come. When he straightened up again, there was no sign of his attackers behind him, but he was assured they were still near when he felt another shot hi his wing to the right.

"Come on!" Luke muttered under his breath.

He bit his lip and pressed a few buttons. Then he pulled a lever, readying his shields. Turning, he took a shot at the ship following him. Not the same one that had tracked him after he left Chewie and the others.

"Don't you ever give up?!" Skywalker yelled to himself about Vader and the Imperial troops.

When he made another turn, he finally made out the ship. It wasn't of the Empire. No, it was familiar. The _Falcon!_

The ship was getting closer, and fast. His pod couldn't handle the attack, but he was thankful it was a ship he knew. He knew how to play it. How it would turn and how fast it could fire. For a moment, Luke thought of how Han would react if he rescued him on his own ship, but he didn't dare think that far ahead. Right now, the goal was getting aboard that ship again and taking out whoever had stolen it.

Luke cut his speed in half. He wondered if letting the _Falcon_ pull him in was a good idea, but realized shortly after that that it would give the thief the advantage and wasn't ready to give in. He stayed back, just out of reach, and readied his blaster canon. It was small, but at least he had some fire power. It took a minute, but finally it locked on to a landing quarter of the ship. Luke cursed himself for the decision to shoot; he knew if the _Falcon_ was damaged, Han would never forgive him. However, it was better than never having her back at all. This point would do the least damage, but would assure the thief on board that he meant business. He fired on target.

She took the hit and wobbled slightly to the left, but regained her balance. The pilot knew what he was doing.

Frustrated, Luke sped up again. His best bet was trying to land his pod underneath to confused the pilot and set and emergency landing, where he could hijack the ship and steal her back, but he had to match speed perfectly if he wanted to get under her without killing his pod, the ship, or worse, himself.

"You can do this," Luke told himself, trying to hype up enough to make the landing.

Ben had told him to focus on everything he had taught him; surely if he focused this time, he could make the landing. It wouldn't be much different than when he delivered the last shot on the Death Star, after all.

Skywalker closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He felt for the _Falcon_ 's speed like he had felt for the shots coming at him when Ben was teaching him to trust his feelings. It was there, just barely in reach, but he tried his best to keep it in the front of his vision.

He sped his pod up just a small amount to get under the _Falcon_ , and then pulled on the brake to slow her down.

 _Wait for it_ , he told himself. _Wait_. Then, when he could feel the space above him, he slid his pod into the space beneath the _Millennium Falcon_.

"This should take us down," he murmured.

Surely enough, the _Falcon_ began slowing down in panic, the thief obviously searching for him underneath. Then, she took a sharp turn to the right to enter the system of Tatooine; the system of Luke's home. He knew she was making an emergency landing, and that was okay.

 _But why Tatooine?_ he wondered.


	12. Chapter XI

**A/N: I wrote this while binge watching the Indiana Jones series, so it definitely had me comparing the two characters all night! Still, I think Han Solo beats Indiana in my mind. Indy might be pretty bad ass, but Han has the sarcasm that I adore.**

 **Ha, anyway...read and review, as always!**

* * *

XI

The Dark Lord's ship was traveling fast through hyperspace, but not quite fast enough. When the fleet had taken off after Luke's escape pod, they had lost coordinates in their chase due to jammed sensors after leaving the Corellian ship's post. Now, they sat in silent space, somewhere in between the core and the outer rim, waiting for Luke's ship to come back on display on their navigation boards.

"Sir!" One of Vader's Imperial captains approached, ready to deliver news to his superior.

"Yes?" Vader breathed. His voice was lower than usual, full of anger and annoyance. For once he'd like to catch the kid without any problems.

"It seems Rykin has gone rogue, sir…"

A burning flared in Vader's core. "Our spy has gone rogue?!" His outburst wasn't unexpected.

"Erm…" the captain stuttered. "Yes, sir… It seems she…has other intentions on what to do with the _Millennium Falcon_ , sir."

 _Other intentions?_ Vader was certain he hadn't heard right, so he took time to process. Then, an eerily calm reply. "She wants the ship for herself," he told them. "She's no longer luring Solo and the Skywalker boy for us."

The Force worked just as well for Vader as it would for Luke. He hadn't quite grasped it yet, but the Dark Lord knew how to use it well, and could reach out to touch their sky, Rykin, even from a distance. She was full of determination; full of greed.

"Solo has been captured by—" The captain began filling in Vader of the events on Corellia, which he already knew.

"Find the coordinates of Skywalker," the Sith Lord interrupted.

"Yes, sir," the Imperial agreed. "Right away."

"Forget Solo. I want the Jedi!"

* * *

"Chewie, how far are we from Han?"

Leia made her way back into the cockpit after a short rest; she wasn't fully healed from the poison put into her veins, but she was feeling much better than she had been before.

Chewbacca, who had been piloting the entire trip by himself, gurgled a tired response. He was exhausted, but not too tired to save his friend.

"Well what kind of place is that for a landing?" Leia retorted when she saw the display pop up, taking Han's usual piloting seat next to the Wookie. "How can you possibly put her down on another man's ship?"

He yowled in outrage as soon as the Princess touched the seat, so she lifted herself off and moved to one behind it, barely touching the smooth surface. Her glare burned into Chewie's back, but she didn't say anything more.

"I guess it'll have to do, then," she said under her breath.

A small rumble emerged from Chewie's throat. It wasn't anywhere near as hostile as the last few had been, and was short and to the point. Leia guessed he was apologizing; she still didn't understand much of his language, but she made do.

"I know it's his seat," she snapped, not taking the apology very lightly. "But he isn't here." Her head cocked as her chin lifted in defiance.

The air was tense. Chewie didn't have anything else to say to her, probably out of being so upset by her words. Leia didn't see the point in arguing, but had to make sure her alliances weren't angry with her, so she instinctively calmed down.

"I'm on your side, you know," she told the Wookie. "The good side."

A low wail came from Chewie, but he didn't take his eyes off of his navigating towards Ylesia.

Leia sighed, opening up. "I know he's not a bad guy," she promised him. "I do happen to like him." Then, she thought for a moment. Did she like him? Or did she just tolerate him? She added, "for a smuggler, he's all right."

Chewie shot a glance at Leia, who blushed. "If he had more decency, he'd probably get somewhere in life," she told Solo's friend. "Like Luke. He has his head on his shoulders, and—"

Chewbacca turned towards Leia fully and ruffled her braided hair until it was a bird's nest of a mess. She scowled and tried desperately to fix it while he turned back around to face the dash, but did not succeed.

"This must be why he always looks so scruffy," Leia barked in return. Sighing, she removed her pins and dropped her hair to start from scratch.

As she took her hair back up and made a simple braided bun to keep the hair from her eyes, she studied the floor in front of Han's piloting seat. The floor was stained with black scuff marks, probably where he shifted back and forth nervously while trying to outrun so many other ships while he was smuggling away their goods. For a moment she wondered if they had been made by the same boots he wore today; the same ones that had saved her from Vader on the Death Star.

"If it were me, he'd do the same thing," she murmured, partly to herself, but she knew Chewie had overheard her. "I guess he isn't that bad, after all…"

Chewbacca grumbled, which Leia thought was an agreement, but when she looked up, she saw bright yellow filling their front windows; the Ylesia system.

* * *

Bright lights blinded Han as he blinked her eyes open momentarily. He barely had the strength to do so, but he managed. He always managed to do the unspeakable.

In front of him was a post. A simple structure, but something he feared from his childhood. Many times after disobeying Garris Shrike, he had been drug here and beaten. So badly, in fact, that he had broken a leg and been immobile for several weeks, once. It was Shrike's way of trying to teach him not to go against his orders, but Han had always wanted to escape more and more after each beating.

They were somewhere below the main corridors…somewhere the rest of the ship wouldn't view them. Two soldiers were dragging him forward. He could hear their boots stomping down on the metal floor as he got closer and closer to the post. Their hands stung on his forearms; he had no strength left, and his muscles were sore from whatever Larrad's kid had injected him with. Probably just a sedative, but in this part of the galaxy, it could mean all kinds of trouble. He would be lucky if he didn't die without an antidote; most of the poisons Shrike used to carry on board were lethal, made up from insects on all parts of the planets in the outer rim.

Gradually, his vision blanked out again. For a moment, he felt the two guards lift him up to the tops of the post. His knees still brushed the ground; the bad part about being so tall. When he was younger, he was given a stool so he could stand properly. Now, he was left hanging, though he thought that that might be best for a short moment; the stool allowed him to agree with Shrike's demands, and there was no way he was going to die giving in.

Blackness engulfed him. The last thing Han heard was the voice of his dreaded capturer, Larrad Shrike.

"I've changed my mind, Solo," his growled in his ear. "Why should I wish you an easy death when you made Garris suffer so much?" he asked him quietly. Then, Larrad stepped back and shouted aloud at his aids, "200 strikes! Then, we will let him bleed to death."

 _So this is how it ends,_ Han thought to himself. _Back on this damned ship, being tortured by the same damn captain._ He was disgusted. _Dewlanna_ , he begged silently in his mind. _Was it all worth this? Is this how it felt when I left you?_ He still never forgave himself for his first escape when his Wookie friend had been killed.

Then, a sharp burning smacked his back like he had been shot by a gun over and over, all in the same second. The guards had lashed him, and hard. Larrad chuckled from the corner ahead of him; this was only one.

Han could feel the blood dripping down his back as another and then another had hit him hard. His shirt clung to him in pieces; it had easily torn at the first few strokes. They had rid him of his vest long ago, when they took his DL-44 and other assortment of weapons.

Soon, he wouldn't be able to stay conscious, but that was okay to him. Han let his mind wander into a darker, quieter place. His vision was gone, but he knew he was slipping when his hearing began to vanish and the pain in his back was slowly starting to ebb away. He was accepting it; what better way for a smuggler to go than to be tortured for his crimes?

Then, all at once, the pain stopped. A blaster rung from somewhere behind him. _Are they planning on shooting me, now?_ He thought.

Silence. Han wasn't sure if he had just blacked out and was dreaming before he died, or if Larrad had stopped whipping him. The poison was still strong; he couldn't think straight to help himself get out of this situation, if it were an opportunity. So, he lay still, letting the poison slowly take him from the inside, pretending to be dead. It was his best and only shot.

"Alright, nerf herder," said a soft voice in his ear. "Let's get you out of here."

 _Leia,_ Han thought. He wanted to say it out loud, but he was giving into the poison and his dripping blood too quickly for his own good. Shortly after, he blacked out for good.

* * *

A rumble came from Chewie as he watched Han's body go limp against the post Leia was stealing him from. She was struggling to keep him lifted off of the ground; his was heavier than her by a long shot, and she wouldn't be able to carry him out of the room by herself.

The Wookie made his way over to the Princess, who was decorated in the Stormtrooper gear they had stolen from the Death Star. Her helmet was off, but the armor was still cloaking her body; it was their best shot at getting onto the ship. An Imperial search would never be out of the question.

"Help me lift him up," she ordered.

Chewie had no problem carrying Han like a baby in his arms back to the ship, but he had to drop his bowcaster if he wanted to do so. Leia took it willingly, slinging it over her shoulder; she couldn't use it, so it was easily to simply carry it back and use her blaster if she had to.

She glanced at the bodies of the guards and Larrad on the other side of the room. She had stunned the guards, but Chewie's bowcaster had done irrevocable damage to Shrike. Part of her regretted going against her personal promise of always to stun, but part of her was also glad that Chewie had permanently ended Han's torture. There was no worry of Larrad coming after him again.

"Han!" Leia called, brushing his ragged hair from his face as he lay in Chewie's arms. It stuck to him like wet paper. "Han, can you hear me?" No answer. Leia began to worry. "Han!" Still nothing. Was he dead? Her last attempt pulled at her heart, but she didn't let it show as anything more than anger. "Han Solo, you answer me this instant!"

A muffled, almost mute sounding insult came from Solo's lips as he fell in and out of consciousness. She caught something agreeing, and he may have called her 'Princess', but that was good enough for her.

"Threepio!" Leia called into her comlink. "Open the doors, we'll be back soon!" A smile spread across her lips in secret as she added, "he's alive."


	13. Chapter XII

**A/N: Wrote this while watching The Empire Strikes Back for inspiration. Please read and review!**

 **A short extension of the end scene will probably be released as a one shot later this week for anyone wanting more Han/Leia than there already is! :)**

* * *

XII

"It's been a while since I've been back here," Luke told his droid companion, Artoo-Deetoo, as he stepped out of the cockpit of the escape pod and stepped onto the desert sand that made up the planet of Tatooine. Thankfully, he was able to grab the droid and pack him into the pod during his escape. From the looks of it, they weren't far from his home town.

Artoo beeped in agreement; the last time he had entered the Tatooine system was when he and Threepio had been captured by jawas and taken to Luke's Uncle Owen's farm. Since then, they hadn't come back to the planet. After Vader had sent Stormtroopers to take out his aunt and uncle, there was no point in staying on Tatooine. In fact, that had been when he had met Han, too.

 _Han_. Luke wondered for a moment if Chewie, Leia, and Threepio had found the smuggler's whereabouts by now, but there was no way of telling for sure. He wished for a moment that he could control the Force like he wanted to, but Obi-Wan hadn't taught him well enough before Vader had killed him.

"Come on, Artoo," Luke called. "This way."

The two made their way across the desert, slowly making it up and down the hills. When Luke had entered the atmosphere, he had taken his pod out from underneath the _Falcon_. If he hadn't, he would have been squashed when she landed. There wasn't enough space underneath for another ship, even with how small his pod was. Plus, it would mean immediate encounter with whoever had taken the ship in the first place. If Luke let her touch down on her own, he could approach the ship with tactic and attempt to steal her back. That was the plan, anyway.

Once the two made it up their third hill, Luke stopped and peered across the stretch of sand below. The _Millennium Falcon_ sat in the ravine, just as he guessed. He estimated the landing pattern of the ship as their made their way into Tatooine air space, and figured she hadn't been able to go too far from where he took his pod.

"Look, Artoo!" Skywalker called cheerfully as his droid finally mounted the top of the hill by his side.

An excited wail came from the robot.

"Well, that's the plan," Luke agreed. "Can you scan the perimeter?" he asked.

A beep or two came from Artoo, and then he projected a small arm in which he was able to read the area from. A few seconds later, he hopped and alerted Luke that there were, in fact, life forms below.

"Great, just great," Luke muttered. He studied the ravine for a moment, then decided his course of action. "Artoo, can you jam the _Falcon_ 's sensors from here?"

An uncertain noise came from the droid in response, but then he clicked about. Silence followed for a moment, but then confirmation was received.

"Good job, Artoo," Luke complimented. "While he's busy trying to figure out how to get Han's sensors back up, I'll take the route underneath the floors to the cockpit. Can you get me into the loading ramp?"

Artoo let his master know he wound be able to, and easily. Luke was getting better at understanding his boops and beeps. He smiled at the droid, and then began trekking down the side of the hill to the bottom of the ravine, staying on the _Falcon_ 's backside to avoid getting caught as he went.

"Come on, Artoo!" he called over his shoulder, noticing the droid hadn't moved yet. "It's just a little sand, what's the worst that can—"

Suddenly, Luke caught his foot in the sand and his body spun out of control. He tumbled about half way down the hillside before regaining his footing at the bottom. Shaking his head to free the sand from his hair, he stood back up, getting off of his hands and knees.

"I guess it _has_ been a while since I've been here," he grumbled to himself. "I'm all right!" he called back up, knowing the droid would be causing a fuss about his fall.

Slowly, Artoo made his way down the hill without slipping in the sand. Luke felt embarrassed for a small moment that he had run ahead so quickly. He was supposed to be a Jedi, not a kid without patience. Still, he was in one piece, and that was all that mattered.

Artoo rolled past him and under the _Falcon_. She was sinking in the sand; this would have to be fast. There was barely enough room for the droid between the bottom of her hull and the sandy surface of the planet, let alone for Luke. He crouched down and followed the bet he could, traveling quickly so he wouldn't get stuck again.

At the edge of where the loading ramp dropped was a hatch, something Han had installed to ensure he could sneak his smuggled goods onto the ship without anyone on board noticing; something he had deemed necessary after Imperials had searched her once for stolen TIE-fighter parts he had gotten from a gambling win. Artoo entered the control system, located on the other side of the ramp, and fussed around with his arm in hopes at unlocking the hatch.

Finally, there was a click and the door dropped open. Luke pulled himself up into the dark corridors of Han's smuggling tunnels. He turned back to face the droid, still in the sand, as he pulled the hatch shut.

"Stand watch, Artoo," he ordered and then closed the door behind him.

* * *

Leia and Chewie stumbled back onto the ship they had taken from Corellia. They left her in the landing dock of the _Luck_. Thankfully, none of Larrad's guards fully supported their commander and had scattered at first blaster shot. IT made things easier for Leia; she didn't want to kill any of them, and stunning would be a lot harder to do when it was only she and Chewie attacking.

Chewie made his way up the ramp and to the housing quarters, Han still sprawled out in his arms. Leia wished they had the space that the _Falcon_ had, but it would have to do. A small bunk was better than nothing. Struggling, she pulled down the bed from its place in the wall.

"Here," she told the Wookie. "Set him down. I'll check the supplies for anything that can help him."

"Princess," Threepio pardoned. "If you allow it, I may be able to match his symptoms with that of my many encoded languages in order to find a diagnostic." He paused. "Until Master Luke and Artoo return, that is."

"Yes, thank you, Threepio," Leia said solemnly. Then, she turned to Chewie while the droid took a look at Han. "Can you pilot this thing out of here?" she asked.

The Wookie rumbled a sarcastic response and shrugged. Leia took it as something Han would say, and predicted he was telling her there was no doubt he could do it. He had gotten them in, after all.

"Thank you," she told him, placing a hand on his arm. She was sincere, and Chewie could sense the worry in her voice. "I'll watch him from here."

"Princess Leia!" the golden droid called as Leia let go of Chewie and watched him head back to the cockpit of the small ship.

"What is it, Threepio?" she asked kindly, glad that she had a bit of assistance in figuring out what to do with Han.

"I think I've found a match!" he told her excitedly.

"Well what is it, then?" she begged, not understanding why the droid wouldn't just tell her straight away. She wasn't in the mood to wait around.

"He seems to be under a paralyzer from Corellia," he alerted her. "Something very uncommon, I'm afraid. Only the very wealthy have the means to buy it. My guess is that Commander Solo's capturer had stolen it or smuggled it on board."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Leia murmured. "Will he be okay?"

"I'm sorry, Princess, but we need to get him an antidote as soon as possible, or we might not be able to reverse the paralyzer. Might I suggest looking in the stowaway compartment for a medical kit?"

"I doubt they'd have anything," Leia told the droid. "Maybe Luke can search for something, if we can get in contact with his pod."

"Good idea, Princess!" Threepio praised.

"How long until the paralyzer becomes permanent?"

"If I had to guess, only a few hours."

"A few hours?!" Leia repeated loudly. They had no idea of knowing how far Luke had gone, or if he would be able to return in such time.

"…yes," Threepio said to Leia, a hint of fear in his voice. "I would say that Commander Solo was dosed with it well before we arrived, judging by the time he lost consciousness. Usually, it would be about a day, but under these circumstances, I wouldn't give him much longer than a few hours."

Leia wanted to yell back at the droid, but yelling wouldn't solve anything. Instead, she thanked him and pardoned him. The golden body made his way to join Chewie in the cockpit, sensing Leia wanted to be alone.

When the doors closed behind him, she turned and made her way to a supply unit on the wall of the bunk room. It was stocked with bandages and quick first aid, though she was used to far worse than just a cut or scratch anymore. She grabbed a pack of tissues and a bottle of water. It was the best she had to clean Han up at the moment.

She brought the items over and sat on Han's bed side. Leia studied him for a moment, then gently brushed the messy hair from his face. He looked terrible, but she didn't expect anything less. His face was a sweaty, bloody mess. Larrad had probably beaten him a bit before he was strung up to his post. None of his features seemed out of place, so she didn't panic too much about broken bones or anything of the sort. His jawline seemed fine, and his cheekbones were even. Not even his nose seemed broken.

Leia blushed for a moment when she caught herself admiring his facial structure. Luke had such a cute, boyish face that sometimes she adored Han's manly features. She would never tell either of them, knowing how they liked to argue over her. She ignored it and let it slip past her, pretending not to notice. It was easier that way.

"You're one selfless mess of a criminal," she whispered, taking a tissue and wetting it with some water from the bottle.

Leia used it to wipe the dirt and sweat off of Han's brow. She wasn't sure of the cool temperature would wake him or not, but he didn't budge. Larrad must have given him an extreme dosage for Han to be this messed up. She had seen him do some crazy things since meeting him and Luke, but never had she seen him unresponsive like this.

"I sure hope Luke gets back here soon." She shook her head. Even knowing Han wouldn't be able to hear her, Leia still talked to him as though he were able to understand. "I don't want you slipping away on me, too."

Then, the Princess closed her eyes and leaned down to kiss Han softly on the cheek. "You're all right, for smuggler," she told him quietly.

Leia hesitated, but then blinked her eyes open and studied him. Still, no response. Knowing he wouldn't remember, she closed her eyes against and pressed her lips against his quickly and softly.

When she sat up straight again, she told him, "that's for saving me again."

Then, Leia stood up, placed the water and tissues back on the supply shelf, and went to join Chewie and Threepio in the cockpit. She needed to get ahold of Luke. The silence in the room was broken by her exit as the doors closed behind her.

Han, still lying on the table, blinked his eyes open momentarily. He wanted to let Leia know he could hear her when she started cleaning him up, but he hadn't had the strength. He was able to open his eyes, but just barely. He still had blurred vision, but it didn't matter. A smile spread across his lips as he closed them again and went back to sleep.


	14. Chapter XIII

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating! I have spent a lot of time recently attempting to read more of the canon books to get a better grasp on my story line. I also started a second Star Wars story, focusing on Leia after Han is imprisoned in carbonite. If you'd like to read, the first chapter is up. The story is titled 'Episode V S : Raiders of Tatooine'. The story will follow Leia and Luke as they train, plan, and rescue Han. Some layover, as the scenes from the beginning of the Empire Strikes Back will be included.**

 **Please read and review!**

* * *

XIII

The corridors underneath the deck of the _Millennium Falcon_ had never seemed to twisted and confusing before, but Luke felt almost lost trying to navigate through them. He tried his best to use the Force to get his bearings, but it didn't work too well.

Luke thought for a moment about the path he took to get to where he was. At the moment, he should be somewhere just before the cockpit. With a few more meters, he would be able to find a hatch just before the door to the cockpit to climb out of. This way, he could surprise the thief and hopefully be able to steal the _Falcon_ back from him. Then, he'd be on his way back to Chewbacca and Leia, and hopefully, Han.

The hatch to the upper floors stuck when Luke tried to push it open the first time. He silently reminded himself to mention to Han that it needed looked at, but then again, the whole ship needed a once over to bring it back up to standards.

Finally, the hatch jiggled open. Luke made sure to lay it down on the metal floors as quietly as possible so he wouldn't alert whoever was in the cockpit. He pushed himself out of the hole easily and pulled himself into an upright position, placing his hand close to his light saber at his side; he would have used his blaster, but the thief was most likely well trained, so the light saber made the most sense.

Taking a mental note of the hole still in the floor, Luke reminded himself to make sure he didn't fall into the hidden corridors again. He was more interested in trying to get the _Falcon_ back into Rebel hands than making sure the latch was placed back on immediately.

Before he could make a decision on how to approach the cockpit, the doors slid open and revealed the Jedi in training to his competitor. Cursing that Han had installed an automatic sensor on all doors in his ship, Luke immediately grabbed at his light saber and prepared for a fight. His stance was defensive, but he was ready for anything. Anything except what he found, anyway.

In the cockpit, messing with the controls above the gallery windows in the front, was the thief, still dressed in all silver attire. The metal shone from the desert sand outside, almost blinding Luke when he looked the person fully over. What Luke wasn't ready for was the face of the thief. Not more than twenty in age, it was a woman, not a man or other alien species. A human with bright, red hair, ending slightly below the shoulders, held the open wires in her hands as she turned her green eyes towards Luke and took in her sights. He didn't realize she was sizing him up until she suddenly reached for her helmet, placed it back on her head, and dove for her blaster, which sat on Han's piloting seat. Though it seemed like a lot, Luke wasn't able to make himself react until the girl had launched herself at the chair to regain her weapon.

Luke placed a second hand on his light saber, waiting for her first move. He was still shocked that it was a girl; he had assumed, which was his own fault, but now he felt guilty trying to push the _Falcon_ out of her hands. He was training to be a Jedi, and she was the last thing he wanted to use those powers on. That being said, anyone working for Darth Vader was an enemy to the Rebellion, and he had to accept that.

A voice rumbled, high pitched and alien-like, from the helmet of the thief as she pointed her blaster directly at Luke with two hands. It was a pistol, similar to Han's. Luke wondered for a moment if she had taken it from his personal collection in his bunk room.

"State your business," the helmet ordered.

Luke didn't move a muscle. His face hard, he replied, "You've stolen a ship owned by the New Republic."

"This Corellian freighter belongs to the Empire."

Stunned, Luke searched for a reply in his mind. "The Empire believes they own everything, but that isn't the case."

"I advise you to get off my ship at once," the thief warned Luke.

Frowning, the new Jedi lit his light saber and stared the thief dead in the visor of the helmet. The thief waited for Luke to take a step back, but when she realized he wouldn't, she took fire at his legs, attempting to take him out but not kill him. Luke easily reflected the shot with his weapon and sent it flying back against her armor without a scratch; it reminded him of when Obi-Wan was trying to teach him the art of sensing his attacker in the very beginning of his training. That training had started on the very same ship. When the shot hit off of her armor, it bounced back and hit the floor, burning a black spot into the metal right before Luke's feet. Her armor was reflective to blaster amo.

 _She doesn't want to fight,_ Luke made note. If the girl was working solely for the Empire, she would shoot to kill. Instead, she was looking to keep the ship in her own hands.

"You won't get very far if you try to out run them," he warned the girl.

"What makes you think I'm going rogue?" she asked, voice still muffled by her helmet.

She took another shot, which Luke sent flying back at her. This time, she dodged the reflection, anticipating it, and it smashed straight into the control panels in front of Han's seat, taking out the buttons that would allow the navigation map to display in the front windows.

Taking a step back at the small explosion, Luke still held his ground. Han would kill him for damaging the ship, but at least it would make his reaction to the month's events a little better than if everything he came back to was bad news. If all went well, he would have the _Falcon_ back.

"The Empire doesn't hand out advanced armor to bounty hunters," Luke observed, answering her question. Then he added, "We don't have to fight."

"Where I'm going is just as dangerous as the Empire," she promised Luke. "If I don't get rid of you, I'll still be dead."

"You're already somewhere more dangerous than the Empire. Tatooine is not a place of friendly faces."

"What would you know about Tatooine, Jedi?" The way she spoke the word 'Jedi' was in disgust, but Luke paid no attention to it.

"This planet used to be my home," he told her. "I know what kind of people live in this desert. Trust me, it doesn't have to be this way."

The thief took a step towards Luke. "Listen, Jedi," she jabbed again. "This freighter is going to make me richer than I've ever been."

"The Empire won't pay you what they've promised," Luke warned her. And then, it began to click in his head. "Which is why you've come to Tatooine!" he exclaimed, understanding. "Who are you really working for?"

"Back off, Jedi!" she warned, waving her weapon at Luke as she took another two steps up.

"Come with me," he offered, trying to draw a truce. "Join the Rebellion. It's a lot better than being a bounty hunter on the run from the Empire."

Growling, the thief took another shot at Luke, this time at his chest. He did his best to draw his arm up so he could reflect yet another laser beam, but it bounced back at him from the bounty hunter's armor and hit his wrist. It took him by surprise and forced him to drop his light saber. It clicked off as it bounced against the ground, and then slipped into the escape hatch that Luke had climbed up through. He cursed himself silently for not deciding to close that hatch.

The thief obviously had the same idea, for she jumped into the hatch after the light saber. Luke lunged for her with his good arm and grabbed her leg as the front half of her disappeared into the floors.

"Let go!" she screamed, clawing at the corridors underneath to get leverage and escape Luke's grasp.

You won't survive down there!" he yelled back, refusing to let his grip go.

The girl kicked at him until he had no choice but to let go, then managed to get on her hands and knees and crawl through the tunnels underneath. Not having any other option, Luke dove in and followed as well, putting up with the pain in his wrist the best he could.

When he reached the end, he still hadn't caught his light saber, but witnessed the girl shimmying out of the hatch opening underneath the ship and onto the desert sand below where Artoo was standing watch. When she dropped to the ground, Artoo stood ready with his small tazer that extended from his long arm and electro shocked the thief before she could get to her feet.

"Hey!" she yelped angrily, jumping away from the droid. "Watch it, gear head!"

"Artoo!" Luke called through the hatch as he extended his legs through and jumped down. "Don't let her leave!"

Artoo beeped a few times and attempted to shock the girl again, but it was no use. She brushed herself off and holstered her blaster. Then, she was off on foot, escaping into the desert.

When Luke stood on the sand below and looked up to see her leaving, she turned and called back over her shoulder, the helmet masking some words. Luke got the gist, and that was all that mattered.

"It's not worth it, Jabba wanted the smuggler, anyway! Not the ship!" she yelled.

"Stop!" Luke begged, taking some steps after her before giving up. "You'll never survive this desert on your own!" It was no use; the girl was over the top of the ravine and gone before his words could reach her.

Panting after the chase, Luke grabbed his knees and tried to catch his breath. Artoo, who rolled up next to his Master, beeped to let him know that he had found his light saber, and had stored it in the sand beneath the escape hatch.

Looking down at the droid, Luke forced a smile and made himself forget the bounty hunter. He hadn't wanted to fight her, so it all worked out. All that was left was to bring the _Falcon_ back into orbit and attempt to make contact with Leia and Chewbacca again.

"Thanks, Artoo," Luke told his droid. "I guess it's back up for us," he muttered, waving his droid to follow him as he closed the escape hatch. He kicked some sand away under the hatch and retrieved his light saber. Clicking it back into his belt, he tried to find the controls for the loading ramp for the ship. "Artoo, can you open the loading dock?" he asked, looking over the underneath of the ship.

More beeps, a click, and the rotating arm extended from Artoo and pressed into a leg of the _Falcon_. Artoo rerouted the commands to the ship in order to get the latch to unlock, but soon after, the loading dock lowered and Luke was able to climb in the correct way.

"Great, Artoo!" he sung. "Now let's get out of here."


	15. Chapter XIV

**A/N: I've been so caught up with changing jobs lately that I haven't had much time to write, unfortunately. :( I tried to update my other Star Wars fic, _Raiders of Tatooine_ , earlier this week. If you're new to this story, try giving my other fic a read, too!  
**

 **This chapter sort of sums up why Han was so insistent that Leia felt something for him in the beginning of the Empire Strikes Back on Hoth. It's obviously just my own guess, but I hope you all enjoy anyhow!**

 **Please leave a review if you read so I know how to better my story for you! :)**

* * *

XIV

Chewbacca had finally steered the Corellian ship into a path straight for the planet of Naboo. Leia hadn't wanted him to get the ship too far out of the Corellian system's orbit in case Luke found his way back quickly, but despite her personal feelings for her friends, she knew it was best for the Rebellion if the group met back with them as soon as possible, and they were surely nearing Naboo by now.

While she let Chewie do his thing, the Princess ducked into the hull of the small ship and attempted to bring up the universal broadcast system. Unfortunately, the pieces weren't all installed by the time they took the hunk of metal from Renn, which was part of the bargaining Han had been doing with the old man after he discussed the shield generators. Thankfully, she could send message to anyone within a close range of them, but her hopes of video to prove her identity quickly faded when the playback screen refused to surface from its storage place in the wall.

"This is Leia Organa of the Rebel Alliance," she recorded, trying her best to speak slowly for the broadcast. "The Empire tracked Captain Solo into the Corellian system. Our current location will remain secure." She thought for a moment, then added, "Anyone who hears from Commander Skywalker is encouraged to contact me immediately. Until then, proceed to base."

Leia hoped her message would reach someone from the Alliance, but she didn't expect much. Now, their best shot was trying to reach Naboo before they ran out of resources.

Then, the doors slide open to the hull and revealed a very gold droid. His arms waved about as he spoke, obviously showing off that he was excited. "Ah, Princess, there you are!"

"Threepio," she greeted, closing the broadcaster. "How is Han?" Leia had left the droid with Han in the bunk, just in case he were to wake up while she stepped out.

"Well, I'm not sure," he told her, suddenly sounding depressed. Then, his mood heightened again, forgetting about the pilot in the bunk. "Chewbacca sent me to inform you that Master Luke has been located!"

"Luke? Where?"

"Artoo sent us an encoded message, and my components easily made out the translation. Master Luke is home on Tatooine!"

Leia was silent for a moment, remembering where the desert planet stood in reference to their current position. It wasn't close, but it wasn't across the galaxy, either. She thanked the droid, who looked sullen when she wasn't as ecstatic as he was, and then made her way to the cockpit to seek comfort from the Wookie pilot.

When she entered, she found Chewie silently reading the navigation maps. Only two small blips were present, but lacked color to their dots, so she wasn't concerned. Red would mean the Empire had figured out Luke's decoy to get the others away from Vader safely. Blue would mean the Rebels were in range. The small gray spots, however, told her that the ships were piloted by droids for transporting goods back and forth between planetary systems: nothing to be afraid of.

The Wookie growled a greeting to the Princess as she sat down in what would be Han's seat next to him. This time, he wasn't upset with her. She had risked her time and almost her life in order to rescue his friend, so she could sit in his seat for a little while.

"Have you heard from Luke?" she asked Chewie, observing all of the buttons and switches on the dash in front of her. How Han knew what he was doing on anything that flew was beyond her.

Chewie answered her question.

"He must not have heard my message," she decided. "Threepio told me Artoo had reached us, but I hadn't heard anything from the Rebellion yet."

The Wookie gargled again. Leia was slightly frustrated that by now, she still didn't understand Wookie talk well enough to make out what he was saying. She assumed he had confirmed that statement, as well. Then, his growls turned into something that reminded her of a Squib's purr.

"I haven't checked on him in a while," she answered. "I'm sure he'll be fine." It was a lie, but she wouldn't tell her new friend anything else.

Before she could say any more, she heard a bang and footsteps from the hall behind the cockpit. Then, the clank of metal footsteps followed. Before she could react, she heard the voice of the golden droid from the corridor, echoing through the ship, and the doors to the cockpit swooshed open.

"Captain Solo, you _must_ sit back down!" Threepio cried, his arms once again flailing around in the air in a frenzy. "You have not been given an antidote yet!" When Han stumbled into the cockpit, ignoring the droid, he paused for what would be a sigh, and then muttered, "Humans… I just don't understand their wiring!"

"Han!" Leia swiveled around in her chair, Chewie following suit. She barely believed the pilot managed to make his way into the cockpit, let alone get out of bed. Then, she jumped out of her chair and went to his side, giving him aid by grabbing onto the arm that wasn't clutching onto the wall for support. "You shouldn't be out of bed!"

Han stumbled and tumbled onto a knee, trying to keep himself from falling. Though he was awake, he still felt the effects of the poison running through his veins. When Leia grabbed his arm to stabilize him, he smiled his half crooked smile and looked up at her.

"I got it, your worship," he told her. His words stung, but his smile let her know he was actually trying to be friendly.

"I'm taking you back to the bunk," she informed him, and stood.

Han got back onto his feet as she rose, using her as help, even though he told her it was unnecessary. One thing the smuggler hadn't yet learned was humility or graciousness, Leia noted.

"Easy, Princess," Han warned, shaking her off. "Someone's gotta pilot this ship. Chewie can't do it all on his own."

The Wookie yowled from his seat, angry that his friend was attempting something so foolish.

"See, Chewie's got this," Leia told Han softly. She attempted to turn him around to walk him back to his bed. "Luke will be back with an antidote soon." It was a lie, but it was no use explaining what had happened to Han since he was rescued.

"Antidote?" Han mocked, not commenting on Luke being off of the ship. "I've been hit with a lot of bad stuff on that ship," he informed Leia. "I'm immune to almost all of it."

Leia frowned. She knew Han was making excuses, but he did seem better than expected, given Threepio had told her his conditions would be very serious without a remedy. "Let me take you back to bed," she begged him. "Please."

Solo knew when Leia added 'please', she meant business. Usually, as a former Senator, she was able to persuade someone into giving her what she wanted. With her friends, she was short and sincere. And judging by her reaction when he came to the last time they were in the bunk, Han figured she had more reason to be sincere with him.

Giving in, he rolled his eyes and turned back towards the door. "Chewie, you come and get me when it's time to land this thing!" he called over his shoulder as Leia pushed him back out of the cockpit. Chewbacca growled a sarcastic response, but Han was quick with his banter back. "Don't you even try to put her down by yourself! You hear me, fuzz ball? Remember what happened on that run to Tatoo II?!"

Leia pushed Han through the door and into the hallway back towards his bunk, allowing the doors to finally shut close behind them. He frustrated her more than words could say, but she didn't dare speak anything negative to him right now. He was still recovering, and she was just glad to have most of her friends accounted for. Even if not for her, the Rebellion would need their best pilots if they wanted to rid the galaxy of the Empire once and for all.

"Where'd the kid go, anyway?" Han asked Leia, still struggling to walk properly.

"To divert the Empire," she told him blankly. "They followed us after your stunt on Corellia."

Solo snorted incredulously. "Stunt? What are you calling a stunt?"

"You should have let them take me," she told him bitterly. Leia was upset with his games; had he not stepped in, he and Luke could have been on Naboo already.

"Why would I do that?" Han asked, stopping their progress back to the bunk. He looked Leia straight in the eye, much like he did every time he got serious with her. Well, every time he was serious _and_ when he teased her.

"You all know I'm not fighter," she told him. "The Rebellion needs you more than it needs me."

"Hey, that's not true. " For a moment, Leia though Han could have manners. Then, "Who else would order us around all the time?"

Instead of arguing, she simply shot back, "I thought you only take orders from you."

For once, Leia left Han momentarily speechless. He could have sworn it was Shrike's poison making him think more slowly, but he knew she had him beat this time. He would play her game, just to prove he wasn't giving in to her.

"I'm taking orders from you right now, aren't I, your worship?"

"Only because you can't stand up straight," Leia said, ending her sentence with a slight sigh. She caught Han as he tried to take another step, holding him up by his arm.

"Why, Princess!" he exclaimed, trying to get a rise out of her. "At least take me to dinner first!"

Leia rolled her eyes but didn't let go. She was still afraid he would fall back onto his knees. "Watch it, hot shot."

Han grinned. "I guess I should've expected this."

Stunned by his atrocious behavior, Leia squinted her eyes in a glare and shot daggers at Solo. "You _must_ still be sick," she hissed.

"Oh come on!" he retorted. "You know what I'm talking about."

For a moment, Han swore he saw embarrassment pass over Leia's face, but she wouldn't falter. She was too much a Senator to show him how she really felt, and she wasn't going to admit she had kissed him. As far as she knew, he was unconscious for it, anyway. If he told her he was awake, she wouldn't trust him. Granted, she barely trusted him as it was.

Sighing, Han glanced at the floor and quickly changed the subject before she could react. "Listen, if you don't wake me when Chewie goes to land this ship, we're all done for. Got it?"

Thankfully, Leia nodded. "Let's go, nerf herder," she ordered, tugging on his arm. "I want to get back to the monitor in case Luke calls."

Finally, he allowed her to escort him down the corridor and to his bed.


	16. Chapter XV

**A/N: Sorry this is short! I've recently started writing my second novel, which will be published on Amazon later this year. If anyone is interested in my first, please send me a message and I'll gladly tell you all about it!**

 **Also, to clear up any confusion, Rykin is to be pronounced as rickon, not to be confused with Vader's General.**

 **Please read and review!**

* * *

XV

A massive ship made of cold metal hovered in the dark, space sky. The transport which was attempting to follow Skywalker into hyperspace let up on their pursuit. In a quick decision, Darth Vader had decided it was best to wait out the Jedi Knight. Soon, he would be back to locate his lost friends.

A command officer stepped up from a pack of Stormtroopers, waiting at the edge of the room for further instructions. "Sir, we've lost contact with Rykin."

A pause, then a heavy, "I told you I want the boy."

"Yes," the Stormtrooper confirmed. "But it seems her comlink has gone out of range, sir, on the planet Tatooine."

"Tatooine?" Vader's voice rung out.

"Yes, my Lord."

The Dark Lord thought for a moment. Then, with a swoosh of his cloak, he turned his helmet back towards the windows of the ship. "Follow her," he ordered. "He's after the ship, but he'll soon be back to save Solo and the Princess."

"Yes, sir. A fleet will be dispatched immediately, sir."

"I'm going to need your help piloting this thing, Artoo," Luke called to his droid, who was stationed in the corner behind Han's usual seat in the front of the _Falcon_.

He had managed to get off of Tatooine without a problem, despite the shots the ship had taken from him before she landed. The only trouble he was given was due to the broken circuits in the cockpit after the misfire had happened, but Artoo would be able to rewire those while they were traveling. Hopefully, they could find the others without the navigation map displaying properly.

"Artoo," Luke called again once they were in hyperspace. "Can you locate the Alliance?"

The droid beeped in compliance, but instead of telling his Master what he wanted to know, he played back a message he picked up on his radio circuits, just as he had when he showed Luke the hologram of the Princess back when he first met Obi-Wan.

"This is Leia Organa of the Rebel Alliance," it spoke. "The Empire tracked Captain Solo into the Corellian system. Our current location will remain secure. Anyone who hears from Commander Skywalker is encouraged to contact me immediately. Until then, proceed to base."

"Leia!" Luke shouted, relieved. "Artoo, can you find the coordinates that was sent from?"

Artoo beeped and booped, agreeing to try to find the others. After a few moments of twisting his top around, he hopped and rushed toward the front of the cockpit. Luke picked up his feet, careful not to have the droid run them over. Then, Artoo plugged his arm in to the navigation panel and set the location for autopilot. Even if the map couldn't display, they would be on track.

"Leia must have encoded that for us," Luke thought out loud. He congratulated his companion, then leaned back in his chair. "Guess we have a long trip ahead of us, don't we, buddy?"

Artoo was quick to reply, but once he did, the hull of the _Falcon_ suddenly rocked, sending him into a screaming frenzy.

"What was that?" Luke asked urgently, trying to scan the surrounding space for invaders.

When the droid offered a response, Luke shook his head. "It can't be an asteroid belt," he argued. "There shouldn't be one of those this close to Tatooine." Then, another rock. "Wait a minute, that's a blaster cannon! They're firing on us!"

Luke jumped for the controls and dropped out of light speed. He twisted the _Falcon_ out of her path and swiveled back to face whoever was behind him. Suddenly, he was facing three Imperial transports.

"Artoo! Take over our cannons, will you?!" Luke ordered, ready to take them on. He prayed silently, hoping he could manage on his own. Han always had Chewie to help, but this was a one and a half man show in this fight.

The Imperial ships flew in pattern, sticking in a group. Once they brought themselves back on the _Falcon_ 's tail, they separated. One took the center, and the other two took to one side of the freighter.

Panicking, Luke ducked her down and made a loop in attempt to get behind them again.

"Artoo, focus on the center one!" he declared, figuring the center ship was the leader.

The _Falcon_ 's blaster cannons shook and shot beams of light at the ship. On target.

"Nice shot, Artoo!" Skywalker cheered.

Then, he sped up the _Falcon_ and pushed her towards the other two. Quickly before he zoomed in between them, he twisted out of range of shots that were launched in his direction. Then, the right fleet was on his tail.

The Imperial ships kept speed. The left fired from a distance, but Luke was able to avoid their shots. The right stayed on him, firing hard. Thankfully, Luke was able to make the _Falcon_ drop below, and then quickly corkscrew around and travel back to their starting point.

The right ship was quick – it stuck to his path well. The left tried to loop back around to meet the other side of the _Falcon_ so both could fire on her, but the right ship stayed too close. It had no time to veer off path when Luke turned the ship in the direction away from Tatooine in the background and jumped back to hyper space.

The last thing Skywalker saw behind him before they darted off was the explosion that came from the impact of the two remaining Imperial ships.

* * *

Princess Leia sat in the copilot seat, watching Chewbacca take on the controls himself. He wanted to fly it manually to try and forget about Han for a little while. Since Leia knew nothing, she was no help. She made herself comfortable but didn't bother the Wookie.

They were well on their way to Naboo. In a matter of a few hours, they would be landing on the planet to rejoin the rest of the Alliance.

"Princess Leia! Princess Leia!" Threepio's excited voice echoed as he stepped into the cockpit.

For a moment, Leia had gone into a trance, but the droid's calling brought her back. She worried about Han first. Wondering if that was the cause of Threepio's panic, she sat up straight.

"What is it?" the Princess asked calmly.

"Why, look, Princess!" the droid demanded, trotting towards the window.

Leia spun around her chair to focus on what was outside. In the far distance, there was a dot approaching. As it got closer, she could just make out the edges, forming a familiar shape. The _Millennium Falcon_.

"The _Falcon_!" Leia called out happily, jumping to her feet.

Chewie celebrated the return of his ship with a loud howl. Then, he slowed down their speed so they could face the incoming freighter.

"Wait!" Leia ordered, placing a hand on Chewie's arm. "We don't know who's piloting that thing."

The Princess was right. The last they heard, the _Falcon_ had been stolen off of Chad and right out from under Chewie's watch. That must have been why he felt it was necessary to take her on.

The Wookie growled a defiant explanation, stating that he saw who had taken her and he knew what they were up against.

Then, Leia reached for the controls ahead of them to bring up the ship's commlink.

"This is Leia Organa to the _Millennium Falcon_ , Corellian freighter Y-1300. State your business." Leia used her best Senator's voice in hopes of persuading the one piloting to answer.

There was silence for a few moments after she radioed her message to the incoming ship. Then, a voice responded eagerly.

"I sure hope you've found Han!" it called.

"Luke!" Leia recognized the voice instantly. "How did you get your hands on the _Falcon_?" she asked.

"Long story, I'll tell you later."

She accepted that. She explained to Luke how close they were to the Naboo system once he told her he had no navigation to use. "We can't abandon our supplies," she decided, even though she knew Han and Chewie would love to get back aboard their baby.

"I'll meet you down there," Luke agreed. Then, after a brief moment, he added. "But I could use a copilot. You guys find her Captain?"

Leia frowned. She tried to keep her voice steady as she answered him. "We have him, but he's not in the best shape, Luke."

Chewie yowled, translating into something about the first aid supplies on the _Falcon_. Remembering his friend's need for an antidote, whether he thought he could get over it himself or not, he told Luke what to look for.

"I'll see what I can find," Skywalker promised.

"Thank you," Leia said sincerely. "And Luke…"

"What is it, Leia?" he asked, sensing something was wrong.

She shook her head to herself. "Nothing. Just get down there safe."

He chuckled. "Sure thing."

Then, Chewie grunted, hinting that they would begin their descent onto Naboo in about an hour, standard time.

"I'll go check on Han," she whispered, placing a hand on Chewbacca's arm again. Then, she was off and on her way to wake the copilot.


	17. Chapter XVI

**A/N: Before I even get the comments, I apologize for what you are about to read...but I have major plans to please you with the addition this chapter brings, so DON'T WORRY, I dislike what I brought into this just as much as any other Star Wards fan. There's a point though. I have an agenda that needs to be accomplished, because Lucas never played out the story line.**

 **Please read and review!**

* * *

XVI

The planet of Naboo was full of life. The people, themselves, weren't present, but the atmosphere was bountiful.

When Leia stepped off of the transport, she breathed in warm, pure air – something she hadn't had since she left Alderaan. Around her, fields of green grass rose into hilltops. A city lay in her sights, with tall buildings and round rooftops. Statues lined the entrance, and a large courtyard stood before it.

Everything was quiet. The transport had dropped among the fighter jets that had docked in one of the plains. Next to it, the _Falcon_ made an easy descent.

Leia looked around. When she finally saw Luke travel down the _Falcon_ 's loading ramp, her heart leapt in relief. She ran into his arms instantly, as though suddenly needing to hug her friend.

"Luke!" she called before she reached him. And then, they embraced.

Before she backed away, Leia planted a soft kiss on Luke's cheek, making him blush in surprise. He hadn't forgotten their kiss on the Death Star, but it still didn't make this easy. He never had much interaction with girls growing up, especially not in a romantic sense. The Princess always caught him off guard.

Then, as if on instinct, Luke remembered Solo. "Han," he whispered, breaking away from their hug.

Leia let her shoulders drop as she relaxed. "Luke, I told you, Han and I are only friends."

Luke rolled his eyes and pushed past her. "No, Han. Where is he?"

Embarrassed, Leia tried her best to hide her face. She felt shame creeping up on her. Thankfully, Threepio emerged on the ground in front of them, taking the attention away from her before she could answer.

"Master Luke!" the droid called cheerfully. His arms waved about in the air. "Oh, how wonderful it is to see you again!" he cried. "And the _Millennium Falcon_! Captain Solo will be so relieved to see that she's okay."

"Hey, Threepio," Luke greeted kindly. "Where is Han, anyhow?"

"Oh, dear, he's quite sick, sir."

Then, Chewbacca appeared in the entrance to the transport. The figure of a person leaning on his shoulder stood hunched over next to him. He was, at least, able to stand on his own two feet.

A yowl rumbled from the Wookie's throat as he helped his friend down to meet the others. Solo wobbled on his feet, but was able to walk easily to meet them.

"Easy, Chewie! I'm all right!" Han barked at his companion. Then, he caught a glimpse of what lay ahead of him. Luke and the _Millennium Falcon_. "You found her!" he announced in astonishment, keeping his eyes on his toy.

Luke raised an eyebrow and smiled, admiring his friend's devotion to his ship. "A bounty hunter had her."

"Bounty hunter?" Solo snapped. His head whipped back around to look at Luke. "From who?"

It seemed like an urgent question.

"I'm not sure," Luke said with doubt in his voice. "She told me she worked for the Empire, but I found them on Tatooine."

"Tatooine…" Solo whispered, biting his lip. He was in deep thought.

"Yeah," Luke confirmed. "I wonder why she'd be taking her there."

Han took in a breath and shook his head. "No idea…" he lied. It was easier to put it in the back of his mind than it would be to explain it all to his Rebellion friends.

Then, Han dropped his hands to his knees in attempt to catch his breath. The world was spinning from where he stood.

Chewie cried out in worry and lifted him up onto his feet again so the big fur ball could act as support once more. Han put up a small fuss, but then accepted it.

Luke, who remembered instantly about the medicine Leia said she needed, motioned toward the loading ramp to the _Falcon_. "Bring him over here," he ordered Chewie.

Before Skywalker could run onto the ship, Han argued the idea. "Don't worry about it, kid. I'm fine."

"Fine?" Leia snapped. "You can't even walk without the help of the walking carpet over there!" The two glared at her, upset by her remarks. She had learned to love the Wookie, but she still held a sickening edge in her words that caught everyone off guard from time to time. Then, she turned to Threepio. "Go find him an antidote before we have to carry him the rest of the way home."

"Home?" Han bickered. "And just where do you think that is, your Worship?"

Then, a strange voice sounded behind them.

 _Finally, someone from the Alliance_ , Leia thought to herself.

When she turned around to greet whoever it was, though, he heart fell. Suddenly, she wasn't sure if they were being greeted or if they were under attack.

A small group of ancient droids crowded around a hooded creature. Each held a blaster in resting stance, but they were still threatening. After all, their best fighter was currently fighting off a Ylesian poison. There was nothing Leia, Han, Luke, or either of the others could do.

Instead, Leia claimed leadership. She stepped forward, placing herself between the small army and her friends. "I am Princess Leia Organa with the Alliance to restore the Republic," she announced, stating her title.

"Ah, yousa the Senator of Alderaan," the figure spoke.

Leia paused. Then, an order. "Show yourself. I won't speak to a hooded figure."

Slowly, the creature lowered his hood, revealing a lizard like face with long, scaly ears. A Gungan.

"Meesa Jar Jar Binks," he spoke. "And these are your friends, meesa thinks?" He lifted his head towards the others.

"Yes." Leia glanced at Luke, begging him for help.

"Where are the rest of the Alliance?" Skywalker probed.

Jar Jar stretched his neck out to the boy and observed. "Weesa take yousa der right away! Right away!"

Behind them, Han rolled his eyes and stood up tall to whisper a smart comment to Chewbacca. He smiles cheekily as he spoke, annoyance all over his face.

"Meesa thinks I'm going to blast that giant lizard if he doesn't shut up."

* * *

Jar Jar lead the group through the courtyard and into the biggest building, which must have been a house to some kind of court or leadership. Leia took in the delicate decorating, something she missed from her old home. She was thankful the people of Naboo seemed to have shown the Alliance decent kindness, as Alderaan would have.

"Do you have a leader?" Leia asked her escort as they neared the top of a set of stairs.

"Dis the Queen of Naboo," Jar Jar motioned as they neared a huddle of well dressed women. "Queen Apailana."

"Welcome," the Queen greeted. "You are here for the rest of your Alliance. Have they arrived yet?"

Apailana's white face was hard to read. She kept her posture steady, almost as though she were balancing the many jewels supporting her dramatic hair style. It reminded Leia of the kinds of things she had to do on Alderaan to impress their visitors. For such a young Queen, she held the position well.

"The rest of our transports should have docked days ago," Leia replied. Her voice was cold, but still kind as though not to offend her Majesty. She hastily tried to introduce herself, but the Queen interrupted.

"Yes, the Princess from Alderaan." She paused. Then, "I see," she replied sincerely. "I trust my army has picked them up outside of the city, then. We will wait for their arrival."

Leia thought for a moment, then accepted. Silently, she prayed that Han wouldn't object – since Threepio had aided Chewie with a simple antidote found on the _Falcon_ , he had been feeling much better. It had worked in minutes. Solo had a habit of putting himself into places he didn't belong, and situations like these where they were on a time schedule were his calling.

Then, Apailana continued. "You'd be happy to hear there are more of your kind on Naboo."

Leia's spirit lifted when she heard Apailana's words. "We received a radio broadcast claiming Naboo is housing another sector of the Alliance."

"Yes. Our people have been under the Empire's watch since before your time, Senator."

For a moment, the Queen's words bothered Leia; she was not even as old as the Princess, yet she spoke to her as though she reigned in years.

"Please, just Leia," she replied sharply, sick of hearing herself referred to as still working with the Galactic Empire in a fake Republic.

Apailana bid her respect and granted her request. "Leia," she corrected herself. "Years ago, the people of Naboo were under speculation from the Galactic Empire. Our Senator and Queen Amidala witnessed the rise of what has become the Empire today. She died in their hands. Many of my people wish to avoid that outcome at all costs, and will serve you honorably if you will take them."

And then, as if on cue, Han commented on the matter. "We need more people if we expect to go anywhere with this."

Leia turned and glared at Solo, warning him to step back silently.

"Okay, your Worship, got it," he replied, disgusted. Then, he glimpsed Apailana's painted face and observed what seemed to be shock. He felt embarrassed, for he was used to the Princess being the only "Highness" or "Worship" in the room. Sucking in a breath, he looked at Chewie and shrugged. Then, he muttered a "sorry" and focused back on the ground, avoiding Leia's piercing eyes.

The Queen continued. "We have plenty of fuel for your aid," she offered.

"Thank you," Leia accepted, bowing slightly. "We plan on relocating after some repairs."

"You are welcome here," Apailana assured her. "Please, follow me. I will show you where you can stay until your people arrive."

The Queen was quickly on her feet, guiding the group into the next hallway. Leia followed in suit, glaring at Han once more before she began walking. Luke followed, shooting Solo a smirk that read as an understanding. He took Threepio and Artoo with him.

With another roll of the eyes, Han nudged his Wookie friend to follow the others. "Women," he snorted.


	18. Chapter XVII

**A/N: This one was slightly longer. I just started a new job, so I haven't had a ton of time to write this week. Hopefully, once I learn what I'm doing, I'll have more free time after work.**

 **Please read and review! And happy birthday to Daisy Ridley!**

* * *

XVII

Darth Vader's ship floated just outside of Tatooine. The sensors they had picked up from Rykin had vanished as soon as they entered the system, making it unreasonable for the Empire to land and search for her. She wasn't the main target – Skywalker was.

"Sir," a first lieutenant greeted as he stood attention in front of Vader. "Our fleet has tracked the Princess and the _Millennium Falcon_ to Naboo."

"Naboo," Vader repeated, his helmet rumbling as he spoke.

"Yes, sir. Skywalker is believed to be with them." After a few minutes of silence, he added, "The Emperor wished to speak with you."

Vader turned, his cloak whipping through the air as he spun. He strode toward the window of the cockpit. Memories troubled his mind as he fought to decide what to do with the information. Then, finally, a decision.

"Put him on. Then, ready my ship, lieutenant," he ordered. "I want to capture Skywalker personally."

"Yes, my Lord."

Once the lieutenant disappeared, Vader brought up the message channel, displaying a big, blue hologram of Emperor Palpatine.

"Darth Vader," his voice seemed to sing. "I suppose by now you've learned the boy and the Princess are on the planet of Naboo."

"Yes, Master," Vader bid. "And the smuggler, too."

"I hope your personal feelings won't get in the way of things." Palpatine reminded the Dark Lord of his history with Naboo – a history he didn't _want_ to remember.

"Not at all, Master."

* * *

Queen Apailana showed the group to an open room somewhere in the back of the castle. Then, she bid farewell until she received word that the rest of the Rebellion had been brought to her by her army. The space was decorated with a big sitting area and several massive, open windows.

Naboo continued to remind Leia of home. For a moment, she contemplated the possibility of making the planet the new home of the Rebellion, but she knew it wouldn't work out in her heart. The Queen was hospitable, but this was her planet, not the Alliance's.

Once they were left alone, the group was finally given time to reunite. Chewbacca sat in one corner, attempting to repair something on Threepio while Luke put Artoo into rest mode. There was always something wrong with the golden droid, it seemed.

Leia stared out the window towards the green landscape in the distance. Blue mountains climbed high into the sky and the trees in the fields below blew gently in the wind. The Princess sighed silently, taking it all in. The Alliance had been with the Senate, then on Alderaan, then on Dantooine before it moved into space. Then, they were on Chad, and now here. This was her favorite of all those places…all except for Alderaan, of course. Nothing would beat home.

"You miss it, don't you?" Han's voice suddenly sounded in her ear.

Leia turned her head to face him. Solo stood looking over her shoulder with his fingers hooked on his belt. She was trying her hardest to keep her feelings hidden, but he had read her well.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she bickered.

Han rolled his eyes. "Sure, Princess. Just like you didn't know what I was talking about the other day."

Her cheeks flared up with red. "Clearly that poison's gone straight to your head."

Solo sucked in a breath but turned around to leave the Princess alone. His attempt to cheer her up had failed miserably, but then again, when had it ever succeeded?

"Watch it, kid," he warned as Luke approached them. "Her Highness isn't being very lady like right now."

It was Luke's turn to roll his eyes. Han complained about Leia so often, it was a wonder he was still part of the Alliance.

"So what are we going to do?" Luke asked the other two.

Leia turned to face them. "Once we have the rest of the Alliance with us, we should plan to make our trip to the new location." Her clean robe the Queen had given her to change into hung all the way down to the ground and swayed as she walked.

"New location?" Han repeated. "What did you have in mind?"

"There's a planet on the other side of the outer rim called Hoth. It's remote, which will make it harder for the Empire to locate us."

Han snorted in astonishment. "Hoth? You've got to be kidding me!"

Leia's nostrils flared in hostility. "No," she told him. "We received a hologram from our scouting mission before we landed."

"Is it safe?" Luke asked.

"There have been no life forms found yet."

"Just how cold is it, then?" Solo asked, getting at the reason why the planet was not inhabited.

"Cold," Leia told him just as coldly.

Luke thought for a moment, but then asked a more logical question. "Can we make it there from here?"

Leia glanced at him, a cloud of anxiety in her eyes. Part of her wasn't sure. "With the proper fueling, most likely."

"Oh, this is just sounding better and better!" Han complained, throwing his arms up in the air and stalking away towards Chewbacca, who yelled a comeback to tell him to settle down.

"Well, I happen to think it's perfect for a new base," Luke agreed cheerfully.

Skywalker's attempt to persuade Solo didn't go any further. Suddenly, a low rumble echoed somewhere outside of their room. Then, silence.

"What was that?" Solo asked, heading for the window.

Leia turned to view the outside once more, but this time, her heart fell. In the courtyard below, several members of the Queen's security unit were falling, killed by Stormtroopers. In the distance, she saw an Imperial ship.

"Not again…" Leia whispered, remembering the last time she saw an army this size.

From the loading ramp of the Imperial ship strode a black, hooded figure. Leia recognized the figure of Darth Vader easily. He stepped onto the grass and paused, looking around. He seemed weak for a moment, unsure of why he was on the planet. Then, he strode strongly toward the courtyard to aid in the battle.

"We have to get down there!" Leia called out as she watched Vader and his army.

"And do what?" Solo argued.

"Fight with them, of course!"

"Fight? Listen, sister, this isn't our battle!"

Luke grabbed for his lightsaber and ran for the door. "We can't just let them die!" he yelled in agreement with the Princess. "They've tracked us here, I'm sure of it."

"You're not a Jedi, kid," Han taunted, reminding Luke not to get too cocky. Then, he decided Skywalker was right. "Just don't make me save you again."

Leia grabbed for a spare blaster and ran with Han to Luke's side. Together, they would aid the army of Naboo in the attack.

* * *

Chewbacca left the two droids by themselves. Threepio insisted on activating Artoo again, just in case they needed to evacuate and escape.

The group had gathered the rest of the Rebels on their way out, all ready to fight. Though they would still be outnumbered, it would be a ruthless fight if they hadn't tried to help.

Luke led the group with Han, Leia, and the Wookie backing him up. As soon as they made it to the courtyard, they were swarmed with chaos. Explosions erupted as ion grenades burst and sent Stormtroopers and Rebels, alike, flying. Many of the Queen's army had already been taken out, their bodies lying as obstacles in the space.

"Come on!" Solo called as he grabbed Leia's free hand and drug her into the mess, Chewie following behind them.

Luke attempted to follow the two, but was attacked as soon as he tried. He reflected shots from two Stormtroopers coming at him as soon as he found his ground. Though he hadn't fully learned how to wield his weapon yet, he had done some practicing while they set up base on Chad.

Then, behind the two Stormtroopers he had knocked out, stood the one person he hadn't wanted to see just yet – Darth Vader.

Vader stood in front of Luke, frozen. His lightsaber shone an eerie shade of red, making the space around him glow. For a moment, he let his eyes wander off of Luke. He watched the birds fly away from the fight. The big castle behind Skywalker stood tall, almost as though it was looming down on him.

Then, Luke interrupted his thoughts.

"Get out of here, Vader," the Jedi in training spat. He held his lightsaber in a ready stance.

"Luke Skywalker," Vader breathed into his helmet. He took a step towards the Jedi Knight. "I see you've progressed in your training."

Before Luke could answer, a body shoved him to the side. "Mesa take this one, Jedi Knight!" it called.

Jar Jar came out of nowhere, ready to take on the Dark Lord. The walking lizard held up his two arms with fists, ready to fight.

Vader was not amused. He easily warned Jar Jar with his lightsaber by swinging it close to his forearms, ready to slice them off it necessary.

"This isn't your fight!" Luke called through the mayhem.

Vader proved him otherwise, though. "Jar Jar Binks," his voice rang as he spoke through his breather. "We meet again."

"Yousa little Annie," Jar Jar responded.

Vader growled and swung his lightsaber around again. "Enough!" he threatened. "I am Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith and heir to the great Emperor Palpatine!"

Jar Jar stepped towards the dark Lord, ready for his battle.

* * *

"Duck!"

Han pulled Leia down into a crouch as a Stormtrooper fired at them. The red laser flew past the top of Leia's braids as the two ran through the madness. Leia's goal was to find the Queen and make sure she was safe. So far, they had no luck.

"We're outnumbered!" she shouted as she continued running after Han.

"Told you this isn't our fight!" Solo shouted back.

Leia fired two shots over her shoulder at a Stormtrooper to her side. She watched him fall as Chewie shot his crossbow at one in front of them. The two leapt over the fallen soldier after him as they made their way for the center of the fight.

"Han!" Leia yelled, tugging at his arm as she slowed.

"What?!" Solo threw his head back at the Princess, wondering what was so urgent.

"The Alliance!" she gasped.

Entering the courtyard were reinforcements. The rest of the Alliance had

Before Han could locate them, a shot coming from behind the two pierced Leia's back. Solo shot back, knocking the Stormtrooper out.

"Leia!" he yelled, dropping his DL-44.

Chewie gargled in outrage. Han caught her as she fell, holding her upright. A wound was red and warm where the shot had hit – a direct fire.

"Come on, sweetheart!" Solo lightly shook the Princess as she closed her eyes in defeat. "Ah, don't do this to me, Leia!" he growled.

Chewbacca yowled out in agony, but then nudged Han in the direction of the Queen's castle. He was right – it would be best to get her out of battle.

"Let's get you back inside!" Solo picked her up over his shoulder as she blacked out and began taking a path back towards the castle, ducking as shots zoomed over his head. "Chewie, watch my back!"

* * *

Across the courtyard, Luke watched as Darth Vader ran at Jar Jar, lightsaber fully ready for battle. The red beam attempted to slice at his fists, but was soon caught on the body of a Stormtrooper that Binks threw in between them.

"Still avoiding the fight, Jar Jar?" Vader rumbled, mocking the fact that Binks never fully entered a battle.

"Yousa underestimate Jar Jar Binks!" he cried.

Vader let out a yell that could have rang throughout the courtyard if it had been silent. He held up a hand to force choke Jar Jar, but when he tried, nothing happened. Again, he attempted to grip the lizzard's neck, but was left looking like a fool.

"Yousa back on Naboo," Jar Jar told him.

"Back on Naboo?" Luke repeated, confused. "He's been here before?"

"A long time ago," Binks confirmed.

Vader growled again, then swung his lightsaber at Jar Jar. It pierced into his body before Luke could react and help him, sending him down to his knees.

"Little Annie!" Binks cried out, looking up at the Sith Lord.

"No!" the Jedi Knight cried, ready to swing.

Vader ignored him. Instead, he retracted his lightsaber, letting Luke know the fight would be ending. "Not today, Skywalker," he warned.

"You coward!" Luke yelled, his blood burning with rage.

"Padme watches yousa," Jar Jar whispered before he collapsed on the ground.

"Padme?" Luke questioned. "Tell me what he means!" he demanded as Vader began to walk away.

"We will meet again, young Skywalker," Vader rumbled.

"Wait!" Luke called, but the Dark Lord disappeared into the crowd, wandering back towards his ship.

Luke didn't chase – the courtyard was soon full of more Rebels, taking out the Stormtroopers one by one. The rest of the Alliance had come, and the Empire was retreating.

 _But why couldn't he use the Force?_ Skywalker wondered as the fight turned in their favor.


	19. Chapter XVIII

**A/N: This is the final chapter of Rebel Retreat! Thank you all for reading - I felt it was time to end it, as I have no more of a story path to follow for this. Hopefully, you enjoyed it! Check out my other fanfics for a further story line, continuing their saga through the missed parts of the movies.**

* * *

 **XVIII**

"You have failed me again, Lord Vader," Emperor Palpatine spat through the video screen in the Sith Lord's chambers.

The Empire had to withdraw from the fight on Naboo. Lord Vader's use of the Force had run dry mysteriously, as though the planet had sucked it right out of him.

"Padme," Vader stated. A simple name now a curse, in the back of his mind. "I'm sorry, Emperor," he concluded sternly. Crossing an arm across his chest armor, he bowed and vowed that nothing like it would ever happen again.

The Emperor was not accepting it. "I took you under my wing, Lord Vader, and expect you to uphold your duties as my apprentice until it is your time to take the throne. Do _not_ fail me again, under any circumstances."

"Yes, my Lord," Vader agreed. Under the armor was a faint feeling of loss, but he would never let the Emperor detect it. For now, all that was important was focusing on how to lure Skywalker away from that planet so he could finish him for good.

* * *

Spilled blood sparkled on the courtyard in front of the palace of Naboo like red wine on a white carpet. As custom, the citizens of Naboo carried their dead off in order to prepare them for the required parade and burial ceremonies. To them, death was a big deal. Luke, Leia, and Han had all witnessed it on an everyday basis, but Naboo was peaceful, or it had been until the Empire had swept through.

Though he should have been helping, Luke stood in front of wooden doors leading to the Queen's room. As if all of his emotions had left him at once, he voided out the noises of the crowd bustling to clean up outside or the constant shoves as an upset member of the battle rushed by and subtly blamed him for getting their family killed. They were right – it was his fault. Jar Jar had saved him, but the entire battle still rested on his shoulders. Next time, he would pick a remote location to hide away on, instead of having to stop in a galaxy that didn't deserve to be part of his dramatic life.

Silently, Luke squeezed his eyes shut and tilted his face towards the ground, similar to how he had when he had seen the charred bodies of his aunt and uncle on Tatooine. The memories haunted him.

"Master Luke!" The voice of See Threepio rang through the now quieting corridors as he arrived behind his owner. "Have you seen Artoo?" he asked. "I'm worried he got himself into trouble again. Oh, I can't keep up with him!"

Luke looked up slowly and tried his best to keep his face steady. "No, I haven't," he replied steadily.

Threepio studied him for a moment. Then, he stepped away awkwardly, turning to glance back as he went. Even for a droid, it was easy to tell when something was not right.

"Threepio!" Luke called, stopping him from leaving.

"Oh - yes, Mater Luke?" the golden droid stuttered as he turned back towards him.

"The medical wing."

"I beg your pardon, sir, but I don't under—" Threepio began, but Luke cut him off.

"Artoo. He's in the medical wing. With Han and Chewie."

"Medical? Has something happened to him?"

Luke shook his head. "Leia."

"Princess Leia?!" Threepio gasped. "Surely she must be okay-"

Skywalker cut him off. The last thing he wanted to think about was what was going to happen to Leia. "I'll meet you down there after I discuss the best route from here with the Queen. We'll leave for Hoth tonight, after the funeral services, for…" There was no need to continue and list a bunch of names that he barely knew. They were people he would never meet, and they were gone.

He dipped back around again. "Yes, sir," the droid stammered before taking off toward the medical wing to meet the Princess and her company.

* * *

"Leia. Come on, sweetheart. Stay with me for just a little bit longer." A desperate Han Solo set the wounded Princess down on the floor of the medical room.

Leia's neck flopped about, almost allowing it to smack off of the ground if it weren't for Chewie catching it before she left Han's arms.

Solo gently slapped the side of her face in an attempt to wake her – it was a trick he was taught as part of the Imperial Navy. If they didn't wake after being pushed around, leave them behind. They could be replaced, but Leia couldn't. He was gentle with her as he waited for the droid to inspect her wound. Surely, they should be able to help her out as long as they had the right supplies to do so.

Chewie gargled a small saying of remorse, letting Han know that he felt badly about not watching her more.

Solo frowned – sure, he wasn't going to admit to it, but he cared about her…maybe a little bit more than he'd like. "I dunno, Chewie," he mumbled, still studying her face. "Luke's gonna kill me if we lose her. _I'm_ gonna kill me." A moment of silence passed before he came to a realization. "I shouldn't have lied to her, Chewie."

When the Wookie questioned his train of thought, he paused for a second before continuing.

"About the _Falcon_ ," he informed him. "I told her I got it from Corellia, but I just wanted an excuse to see…what's left of the only family I ever had." Solo wasn't one for genuine moments, and hated that he cared enough about such a small detail. "Now she'll never know the truth about her, or me, or how we got here."

Chewie tried comforting his friend. He placed a furry arm over Han's shoulders as they watched Leia be checked out by the droid working the wing.

Then, the _wooshing_ noise of the doors behind them alerted them to a new presence…or two. A beeping followed – the distressed howls of Artoo Deeto. The gasps of the human-like droid followed.

"Oh, Princess!" Threepio cried out. "Master Luke was right! Artoo, whatever will we do?!"

Han whipped his head around with anger displayed on his face. "You take that bucket of bolts of yours and wheel on out of here," he demanded, instinct taking over. "And take goldenrod with you!"

They listened to his command, even though Solo immediately felt badly about yelling at them. Sure, he wanted to be tough, but there were some of his only friends. So was Leia. He would never forgive himself if anything really happened to her.

Suddenly, her eyes rolled under closed lids as the droid dabbed some ointment on to her open wound – it would heal in a matter of hours, if she took to it properly. Of course, there was always the side effect of burning and infection, if her body wasn't used to it. It had been an executive decision by Han, assuming her Senator's body had been through almost everything he had.

He studied her fiercely, waiting for a reaction. Then, brown eyes blinked open and struggled to focus on the two faces hovering over hers.

"Han?" she asked quietly as her vision became clearer. "Where are we?"

"Medical," he grunted, giving her the simplest answer.

Leia's eyes flashed open and she immediately attempted to sit up, alarmed. "Medical?!" she repeated, thinking of everyone else before herself. "Where's Luke? Is he okay? Are _you_ okay?"

"Luke's fine," Solo told her sourly. "So are we," he added. "You, on the other hand," he began, but then Leia scrunched up her face in pain.

Leia laid back down, taking the weight off of her elbows quickly after getting there. Her wound would take hours to heal, not minutes.

"You should lay down," Han instructed, the Wookie next to him backing up his opinion.

"Did I get shot?" she asked, stunned.

"No, they gave you a pat on the back," he muttered, rolling his eyes and huffing out a breath. Then. Solo sighed. "It's my fault," he admitted, looking away from her. "I wasn't paying attention and they came in from behind."

All at once, it was as if Leia had remembered it all. "Luke!" she cried again. "And Vader. Where is he? We need to get out of here!"

"Relax!" Han ordered, trying to calm the panicked Princess. He placed a hand on her shoulder in attempt to keep her back on the ground. "Vader's gone. Luke's with the Queen."

"The Queen?" she repeated once more.

"Yeah, something about wanting her forgiveness before we head out. The fleet's recharging as we speak."

"Right, Hoth…" the Princess mumbled, almost as though she was regretting the decision to go to the ice planet.

"Don't sound so thrilled," Solo said sarcastically, stepping away and onto his heels in attempt to stand up and leave her alone until they left.

But Leia grabbed his hand. "Han, wait!" she demanded.

He listened. "Yes, your highness?" he asked, waiting patiently.

Leia gazed at him with kind eyes for the first time since their arrival to the battle. "Thank you," she told him sincerely. "For saving me."

"Anytime, your Worship." But Solo wasn't about to leave things like that. He could go, sure, and they could continue hating each other. But something had changed, and he didn't _want_ her to hate him. "You're welcome," he decided, changing his answer. "Get ready, we're leaving in a few hours."

"We're?" she asked, stunned that he wasn't leaving after everything that had happened.

Solo forced half a smile. "Yeah," he agreed. "Someone's gotta watch out and make sure you don't get yourself shot again."

Chewie agreed, his yowl ringing around the room as it bounced off the walls.

Slowly, Leia's lips curved into a smile of her own. No words were necessary to reply – only a kind, warm smile. That was enough to lead into their journey to Hoth on good terms, with Luke and the rest of the Alliance on their side.


End file.
